Holly Springs, NC, Nov. 1, 2026 — North Carolina will prohibit the disposal of lithium-ion batteries in landfills and permitted incinerators beginning Dec. 1st, 2026, a change affecting rechargeable batteries found in everyday items from phones and tablets to cordless vacuums and power tools. Wake County is urging residents to prepare now by keeping those batteries out of household trash and recycling bins and taking them to designated collection sites.
The change comes as the county deals with the cost of battery fires at its own waste facilities. A January 2025 fire damaged the North Wake Household Hazardous Waste facility, with repairs estimated at about $1.6 million. Because hazardous materials cannot be stored at the damaged facility, the county says state permit requirements have limited collections there to one day a week.
“Lithium-ion batteries have been the leading cause of fires at Wake County’s solid waste facilities, including the fire that damaged part of the North Wake Household Hazardous Waste facility just last year,” Wake County Commissioner Shinica Thomas said in an October announcement. “We want to not only get people prepared for the ban of these items at our facilities, but also teach them how to protect themselves, their property and others from potential harm.”…