A lithium battery should be fully discharged before disposal. Lithium batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream. These batteries, however, do contain recyclable materials and are accepted for recycling by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Battery Recycling Program. Go to the RBRC website at www.rbrc.org for additional information. You can safely recycle your lithium battery for free. Just go to www.call2recycle.org  to find a local drop off site near you.