DIY Safe Battery Recycle Container

Recently there was a post going around on Facebook about a house that burned down due to a 9 volt battery's contacts being touched by another 9 volt battery's contacts and the resulting spark leading to fire. Evidently the two of them touching together causes an arc or spark and the recycle bin being full of other batteries and materials was ripe to fuel flames.

Having created an awesome recycle center for my new shouse, I got to thinking about recycling batteries and creating a bin for that as well. While I will be using rechargeable batteries, many products will come with batteries that will eventually need recycled. Even button batteries from watches and children's toys should not go into the regular trash.

DIY Recycle Center - IKEA Hack

I adore shopping in the Scratch and Dent area of IKEA. Every IKEA location has one. This section of the store contains items that are slightly damaged, floor models, returns (often with not  a thing wrong but the item is already assembled), and items that are missing parts. It is also my favorite place to sit and people watch since it is by the front registers. During my last trip I found these fantastic trash cans that I had admired in the catalog.

Knodd bins are quality epoxy/powder coated steel. They come in three colors: black, galvanized, and white and have nice lids. I chose the white, although they are more of a cream color than white, which I really like. The finish is a satin finish, not a gloss. Each measures 20" high and have a diameter of 16.25", so they are not too large for most spaces. They hold 11 gallons and are ok around areas of moisture or humidity since the coating helps prevent rust. The ones they had in the Scratch and Dent section this trip were not really a scratch and dent, in fact they were not damaged at all. The bins I scored were simply missing their handles. Typically the Knodd bins retail for $24.99 each, but these ones were marked just $9 each!!