What to do with a puffed cellphone battery

[hamz9561]

I got a replacement battery for my cellphone (second one) and was wondering if I should give this a salt-water bath like a puffed RC LiPo pack before disposing of it. The original battery was disposed of at the cell carrier's store.

 

[ninnon]

DO NOT PUNCTURE IT
Cover the terminals with electrical tape to stop shorts, and then take it to your local battery disposal centre- My local recycling centre has one, I'd transport it in a fire proof bag of some sorts. Just make sure it doesn't leak, because the innards will react with the oxygen and produce all sorts of horrible gasses.

 

[Certified Mike]

In my area, the local transfer stations (town dump) has a few specific days where things like paints, batteries and lots of other potentially hazzardous materials are accepted for propper recycling. It may be worth a call to them to see if there is a program like that available and if it makes sense to store it safely with you until those dates. First and foremost however, be sure that you are storing this battery safely while you have it as they can be extremely unstable!

 

[hamz9561]

Took the puffed pack to Best Buy and the customer service desk took care of the recycling.