Where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile

You can drop off lithium-ion batteries for testing in Santiago or Viña del Mar by arranging a time beforehand. For companies, larger volumes or batches from other regions, we coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers and manage the recycling of lithium-ion batteries with authorized receiving facilities, at 22 UF per tonne plus VAT. If you only have a few batteries, email contacto@ecobaterias.org and we will explain how to prepare them and which route makes sense.

Which route fits your case?

Swipe to see the full table

What we handle and what we do not

We handle lithium-ion batteries of any size:

• Yes: batteries from cell phones, laptops, tablets and cordless tools.
• Yes: batteries from e-bikes, e-scooters and micromobility in general.
• Yes: packs from electric and hybrid vehicles, buses and machinery.
• Yes: stationary storage modules and racks (BESS), including units removed during repowering.

We do not handle household alkaline batteries (AA, AAA and similar): they are not lithium batteries, and their route runs through battery collection points, currently regulated by Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025. Automotive lead-acid batteries already have an established recycling chain in Chile, with an estimated recycling rate of about 90%: a single car battery goes to the managers of that circuit. If your company has batches of lead-acid or NiMH batteries alongside lithium ones, they are quoted separately.

Source: Regulatory impact assessment of the draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-18

The contrast with lithium is the reason this page exists: roughly 0% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled in Chile today, against an estimated 1,100 t of lithium-ion battery waste for 2026.

Source: Regulatory impact assessment of the draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-18

How to deliver: quantities, packaging and timing

There is no minimum quantity, but it has to be arranged in advance. Use the form or email contacto@ecobaterias.org, stating battery type, approximate quantity and district.

1. Tell us what you are bringing. Battery type, approximate count or weight, and condition (healthy, damaged, swollen).
2. Protect the terminals. Insulating tape on every terminal, one by one, to prevent short circuits.
3. Pack in a rigid box. No loose metal inside, with material that keeps packs from rubbing together.
4. Separate anything damaged. A deformed, leaking or hot battery goes in its own box and must be declared.

While you wait for the drop-off, keep the batteries under cover, dry and ventilated, away from combustible material. Do not puncture them, do not take them apart and do not submerge them in water.

Companies and buildings: scheduled collection

For offices, workshops, fleets, industrial plants and residential buildings we coordinate scheduled pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers. The usual setup is a container at an agreed point, collected by volume or on a calendar, with a valorization certificate from the authorized receiving facility for each pickup.

For companies, recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF per tonne plus VAT; pickup and packaging are quoted separately. The full service, with what we handle and the documents for each batch, is on lithium battery recycling for companies. Packaging by battery condition, labels and the step-by-step filing in SIDREP (Chile’s national hazardous-waste declaration and tracking system) are on battery and solar panel collection and transport.

That certificate is what backs your hazardous waste reporting and your reporting under Chile’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (Ley REP, Law No. 20,920). If you are comparing suppliers, first check what to demand from an authorized lithium battery waste manager: the sanitary resolution, the role filed in SIDREP and the final destination of the material are the three questions that save trouble later.

Individuals: municipal drop-off points

If you are an individual with two or three batteries, there are two routes. The first is a municipal clean point or collection campaign: many districts accept small batteries during limited hours, and it is worth confirming on the municipal website what they take before going. The second is to pool them with the batteries from your building, office or workshop and arrange with us a single pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers — for a small volume, one pooled pickup is simpler for everyone.

Official information on waste management and EPR is published by the Ministry of the Environment (opens in a new tab).

What the battery decree would change

The Ministry of the Environment’s draft proposes that the collection network stop depending on goodwill. These articles redraw the map for anyone trying to hand in a battery:

Swipe to see the full table

Source: Draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-18

None of this is in force yet: the ministry’s deadline to propose the decree was extended to January 29, 2027. Full timelines are on the battery decree page, and the market figures in the battery and solar module statistics for Chile.

What happens to your battery next

Every battery that comes in is checked before its route is decided. If the state of health (SOH) allows it, the pack is prepared for reuse: direct reuse at 90% or more, refurbishment at 80% or more and second life between 65% and 80%. Below 65% it goes to recycling: we manage its valorization with authorized receiving facilities, in Chile or in OECD countries where applicable; the authorized receiving facility closes the SIDREP declaration and issues the valorization certificate.

Source: EcoBaterías testing protocol · 2026-09-18. An in-house threshold, not a standard; reference methods IEC 63330-1 and UL 1974.

Mineral recovery by hydrometallurgy is the process EcoMinería ran in Lampa, at the plant that operated under a 2020 health permit from the Seremi de Salud (Chile’s regional health authority) for the Santiago Metropolitan Region, issued in the name of EcoMinería (Ecoprojects), a founding partner of EcoBaterías. The new plant is under review by that same authority; the detail is on compliance and permits.

Recycled cobalt sulfate has already been tested in mining: at Codelco El Teniente’s hydrometallurgical plant (trials from November 2023; results published in July 2024) it came in at 22% lower cost than the imported product and with 40% lower additive consumption.

Source: El Rancagüino (opens in a new tab) · July 2024. The article does not name the supplier.

If your battery still works or has a single fault, see lithium battery testing and lithium battery repair before recycling it. Common questions about price, pickup and the EPR law are in the FAQ.

Frequently asked questions

I have 3 laptop batteries — where do I take them in Santiago?

If you want to recycle them, the simplest route is a municipal clean point or collection campaign. If you want to know whether they still work, email contacto@ecobaterias.org saying you have three laptop packs and we will confirm an intake slot for testing in Santiago or Viña del Mar. Bring them with the terminals covered in insulating tape and packed in a rigid box. There is no minimum quantity, but the time has to be arranged before you arrive.

Do you handle alkaline or car batteries?

Alkaline batteries, no: they go to battery collection points. A single lead-acid car battery goes to the managers of that circuit, which is already well established in Chile; company batches with lead-acid or NiMH batteries are quoted separately. We handle lithium-ion batteries of any size.

How much does it cost to recycle the batteries?

For companies, recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF per tonne plus VAT, a price published on the services page; pickup and packaging are quoted separately. For a few units, message us and we will confirm the terms.

Can you collect outside Santiago?

Yes. We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers anywhere in Chile. The cost depends on volume and distance, so we need the approximate quantity, the battery type and the location to come back with a proposal within 48 business hours.

Which document do I receive afterwards?

When the process closes, the valorization certificate issued by the authorized receiving facility, with the tonnage and destination of each fraction. That certificate is what backs your hazardous waste reporting and your reporting under Law No. 20,920.

Sources