As of December 1, 2026, it's against state law to knowingly put a lithium-ion battery in a North Carolina landfill or permitted incinerator. That includes the slide-on packs that run almost every cordless tool on a job. NC DEQ names construction contractors as one of the types of businesses the rule reaches.
For most crews the fix is simple: keep dead packs and old devices out of the roll-off, store them in one safe spot, and get them to a recycler. Below you'll find the rule in plain terms, a checklist your crew can print and use, and where Triad businesses can send batteries.
North Carolina's new battery rule, explained
On December 1, 2026, lithium-ion batteries join the list of materials that state law keeps out of landfills. The same law also bars burning them in permitted incinerators. The wording says no person shall "knowingly dispose" of them there.
It isn't only about loose packs. NC DEQ says a device with a lithium-ion battery still inside it is covered too. A broken drill with its pack still on falls under the rule.
- Session law
- S.L. 2023-137 (House Bill 600), Section 19
- Statute
- G.S. 130A-309.10, subsection (f)(16) for landfills and (f1)(9) for permitted incinerators
- Start date
- December 1, 2026, for offenses on or after that date
- Covered
- Lithium-ion batteries, including ones still inside a device
- Not this law
- Alkaline batteries. Lead-acid batteries have had their own landfill ban since 1991.
Sources: NC General Assembly, S.L. 2023-137 and NC DEQ guidance for businesses. This is general information, not legal advice.
Nothing changes at A-1 on December 1. Batteries already can't go in our dumpsters, and both our Bishop Road Landfill and Abbey Green Transfer Station list them as not accepted. The new law just puts the state behind a rule we've had all along.
Why job sites carry so much of the risk
Nearly all cordless drills, nail guns and similar tools now run on lithium batteries, and a dead pack looks a lot like trash at the end of a long day. NC DEQ warns that a crushed lithium-ion battery can ignite and burn the material around it, and that one that seems dead can still start a fire at a landfill. A-1 has seen it firsthand: a lithium battery that ended up in a load started a fire in one of our walking-floor trailers.
Job-site battery checklist
Print this and post it in the site trailer or next to the roll-off.
Day one: set up a battery bin
- Pick one spot for dead packs and old devices. Make it cool, dry and out of the sun, and keep it away from fuel and other things that burn.
- Use a container you can label "Batteries only." Don't use the scrap metal bin, and don't use a loose metal can.
- Keep tape nearby for covering terminals.
- Tell every crew and sub where the bin is.
Every day: sweep before cleanup
- Walk the work area and pick up stray packs, phones and vapes.
- Tape the terminals on loose packs before they go in the bin.
- Never let a battery go in the roll-off, the trash or a recycling container.
- Don't stack heavy material on the bin or crush anything inside it.
Before the roll-off is pulled
- Look over the top of the load for tools, packs and electronics.
- On demo and cleanout jobs, make sure the pre-tear-out battery walk got done.
- Not sure what something is? Pull it out and ask.
Damaged packs
- If a pack is swollen, cracked, leaking, smoking or running hot, stop using it.
- Move it outside, away from the other batteries and anything that can burn.
- Set it in a non-flammable container, such as a metal bucket or sturdy plastic bin with sand or kitty litter, as NC DEQ advises.
- Call your recycler or hazardous waste vendor before you ship it. Damaged packs may need special packaging.
- Don't pry a built-in battery out of a device. Recycle the whole thing.
Every week or two: get them off site
- Drop them off, mail them in, or have a battery recycler pick them up. Don't let the bin fill up.
Storage, damaged-pack and built-in battery steps follow guidance from NC DEQ for businesses and NC DEQ battery safety.
Where Triad businesses can send dead packs
Batteries can't go in our dumpsters, and our landfill and transfer station don't take them. But A-1 can arrange disposal or recycling for your lithium batteries. Keep them separate. Never mix them into a C&D or MSW (household and commercial trash) load. Call (336) 855-8195 to set it up.
Other options we verified for businesses:
Contractor questions
I'm a contractor. Is my company covered by the battery ban?
A dead tool pack is still attached to a broken drill. Can the drill go in the roll-off?
Can I throw old packs in the scrap metal bin with the copper and steel?
Will A-1 take batteries at Bishop Road or Abbey Green?
Not sure what can go in your roll-off?
Ask us before you load it. A-1 Service Group, 2091 Bishop Rd., Greensboro. Family owned since 1979. Se habla español.
What can go in a dumpster / Contractor dumpster program / FAQ / Contact
Call (336) 855-8195