Will Apple stores accept for recycling a device with swollen batteries?

From: Apple Reuse and Recycling Program - Apple

“We’ll make sure your preloved Apple devices and accessories are recycled responsibly or even given a chance to be used again. We also accept comparable devices from other manufacturers and small electronics — no purchase required. Please note that this service is not intended to receive loose batteries nor a device with a swollen, damaged or defective battery.”

If you want to double check then phone them.

I can't speak for the entire world but in the USA I'm pretty sure all the stores have telephones.

Go to this page to find your nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) or Apple Authorized Distributor (AAD) --> https://locate.apple.com/country

This is the kind of thing where they post a blanket "no" statement on the web but individual stores may have their own discretion. Either that or the web page is outdated or the "lady" was mistaken. That's why I suggest phoning the place where you actually want to take it and see what they say.

A Google search (specifically, how do I dispose of a swollen battery in Denver, Colorado?) comes up with the following information:

• swollen batteries cannot go into standard retail battery drop-offs. So that explicitly means that Apple stores cannot take it, no matter what the lady on the phone told you
• the Denver Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program offers safe disposal of hazardous material
• often, a swollen battery can be disposed of at specialised recyclers that can handle hazardous materials, such as Blue Star Recyclers located at 953 Decatur Street (that is not a personal endorsement, I have no knowledge of their business other than what my Google search results produced). The advice is to call ahead to confirm that they do still accept swollen batteries
• The Battery Network. The Google result also provided a link to their location finder

I suggest that you do this search yourself as that will allow you to use your local knowledge. I'm not even in the USA, let alone Denver.

Take note of all the cautions (mentioned by the search result) regarding a swollen battery:

• • do not force the battery out of the device
  • do not puncture it
  • tape up any exposed terminals (with non-conductive tape, preferably electrical tape), to avoid short circuits
  • store it outside, away from heat sources and the house etc., while you find out where to take it

Limnos wrote:

I can't speak for the entire world but in the USA I'm pretty sure all the stores have telephones.

FYI for Limnos:

I had the same experience as Tech_illiterate trying to phone the Spokane Apple store. I dialed the number listed on the Store's page. It looked like any other Eastern WA phone number.

The call was indeed answered by a central system that wanted to triage my issue to find what help I needed. It was like calling Support. I was not offered a bypass or "skip" option and I did not continue.

It's possible that if Tech_illerate made a Genius Bar appointment for this at the store, they may have better luck finding out:

https://www.apple.com/retail/cherrycreek/ for Genius reservation.

The lady I talked to on the phone said they DO accept devices with swollen batteries. But according to this, they DON'T. There's no way to contact an individual store, just a general customer service number. Guess I'll have to shell out the money for a cab & go to the Apple store & hope for the best :(

They might have a phone but they apparently don't answer it:

"How Apple Handles Store Calls

• Centralized Routing: When you dial a phone number associated with an individual Apple Store, the call is typically intercepted and routed through Apple's centralized phone support (AppleCare or a general call center) rather than ringing the store's front desk. [1, 2, 3]"

When I clicked on the link you provided I got a Whitelable Error Page. Thank you for trying to help though, I do appreciate it.

Thank you, Allan Jones. I did consider making a Genius Bar appointment. But it turns out Blue Star Recycling is holding an electronics recycling event 1 block from me this Friday & they take care of data erasure :) It's a very reputable company. So I've been all stressed out over this for nothing! :) And I confirmed with them that they DO accept iPads with swollen batteries, thank God.

the fiend, thank you for your reply. It turns out Blue Star Recyclers are holding an electronics recycling event 1 block from me this Friday. I confirmed with them that they do take devices with swollen batteries, & they also erase all data. So that turned out perfectly! :)

Tech_illiterate wrote:

Thank you, Allan Jones. I did consider making a Genius Bar appointment. But it turns out Blue Star Recycling is holding an electronics recycling event 1 block from me this Friday & they take care of data erasure :) It's a very reputable company. So I've been all stressed out over this for nothing! :) And I confirmed with them that they DO accept iPads with swollen batteries, thank God.

Well played!

Tech_illiterate wrote:

When I clicked on the link you provided I got a Whitelable Error Page.

Try Find Locations

Glad to hear about that event. I trust that you will manage to achieve your task.

Thank you, the fiend! I was going to upvote your reply but apparently I've reached my voting limit :)