Swollen Power Bank: 5 Things Not to Do, and the Only Places It Can Legally Go in the US

Short answer: stop using it, do not charge it, put it somewhere it cannot set anything on fire, and take it to a household hazardous waste program. A swollen power bank cannot legally or safely go in the trash or the curbside recycling bin, and — this surprises most people — it also cannot go in the self-serve battery recycling box at a hardware or electronics store. Those boxes are for intact batteries only.

If the power bank is smoking, hissing, popping, leaking or too hot to hold, skip this article. Move away from it, get people out of the room and call 911. That is the NFPA’s advice, and it is not an overreaction: a lithium-ion cell in thermal runaway feeds itself and can reignite after it appears to be out.

Why a power bank swells in the first place

A lithium-ion cell is a sealed pouch or can containing electrodes and a flammable liquid electrolyte. When the cell is abused or simply old, side reactions decompose some of that electrolyte into gas. The pouch inflates, and because a power bank’s plastic shell is glued or clipped shut, the first thing you notice is a seam opening up, a case that rocks on a flat table, or a bulge under the label.

The usual triggers are heat (a summer dashboard is the classic one), being left fully charged or fully flat for months, physical damage from a drop, age and charge cycles, and manufacturing defects. That last category is not rare. In June 2025 the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of about 1,158,000 Anker PowerCore 10000 units (model A1263) after 19 reports of fires and explosions, and in September 2025 a further recall of about 481,000 Anker power banks across five models. Cell defects reach reputable brands too.

The EPA’s position is simple: a swollen battery is a damaged battery and a potential fire hazard. It will not un-swell.

The warning signs, in order of urgency

The NFPA’s consumer tip sheet tells people to stop using a lithium-ion battery if they notice any of six things: odor, change in color, too much heat, change in shape, leaking, or odd noises. Sorted by how fast you need to act:

Five things not to do

1. Do not charge it “one last time.” Charging pushes energy into a cell whose internal structure is already compromised. Recall notices for power banks describe overheating batteries; adding charge current is the last thing a compromised cell needs.

2. Do not press, puncture or “burp” it. Videos of people venting swollen cells with a pin are demonstrations of how to start a fire at arm’s length. Piercing the pouch can short the electrode layers directly.

3. Do not put it in the trash or curbside recycling. The EPA says so explicitly, and the reason is downstream: compactor trucks and sorting machinery crush batteries. An EPA analysis of waste-industry incidents identified 245 fires at 64 facilities between 2013 and 2020 that were caused or probably caused by lithium batteries — and the agency notes that count is far from complete. In several states, putting any rechargeable battery in the trash is also illegal; California, for example, treats all discarded batteries as hazardous waste, and CalRecycle states that putting a household battery in the trash or curbside bin is illegal.

4. Do not put it in a store’s battery drop-off box. Covered in detail below — those boxes exclude damaged batteries.

5. Do not mail it, and do not fly with it. USPS Publication 52 prohibits damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries in domestic mail without special approval. The FAA’s PackSafe guidance says damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries that are likely to overheat or catch fire must not be carried in either carry-on or checked bags. If it swells while you are traveling, tell the hotel or the airline staff rather than packing it.

Also skip the folk remedies. Nobody with responsibility for fire safety recommends the freezer, and The Battery Network specifically warns against putting damaged batteries in water.

The first ten minutes: isolate it

This is the procedure that The Battery Network and the EPA both describe, and it requires nothing you cannot find in a garage.

1. Unplug it from the charger and from any device. Do not plug it back in.
2. Do not open the case or try to remove the cell.
3. Put it in a non-flammable container — a metal bucket, a steel pot, a ceramic planter — on a bed of sand or plain clay kitty litter, and cover it with more. Both organizations name those two materials.
4. Place the container away from anything that burns: outdoors on concrete, away from the house wall, out of direct sun and rain, and out of reach of children and pets. A garage floor away from the car and stored fuel is second best.
5. Arrange disposal the same week. Isolation is for days, not months.

Do not seal a swollen battery in an airtight tin. The sand or litter is the barrier; if the cell vents, the gas needs somewhere to go.

Check galvanized steel buckets on Amazon

Where it can actually go

Here is the part most guides get wrong by omission. The disposal route for a healthy old power bank and the route for a swollen one are different.

Municipal household hazardous waste: the main route

Every recent CPSC power-bank recall notice carries the same disposal paragraph. It tells owners not to use the trash, the curbside bin or the used-battery boxes at retail and home improvement stores, because recalled lithium-ion batteries present a greater fire risk than ordinary ones. It then says your municipal household hazardous waste collection center may accept the battery, that you should contact it ahead of time and ask, and that if it does not, you should contact your municipality for further guidance.

That is the realistic path for a swollen power bank as well. Search your county or city name plus “household hazardous waste,” or use the locators the EPA links to (Earth911 and The Battery Network). Then call before you drive, and use the word “swollen” or “damaged.” Policies differ: some facilities take damaged lithium batteries any open day, some only at scheduled events, and some will refer you to the fire department or a private hauler. Most HHW programs are free for residents; some charge a small fee or require proof of address.

For the trip, keep the battery in its sand or litter container, in the trunk or truck bed rather than the cabin, and go directly there.

The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle)

Call2Recycle, the nonprofit behind most in-store battery boxes since 1994, renamed itself The Battery Network on January 13, 2026. Many store boxes still carry the old name.

Its guidance for damaged or defective batteries is four steps: isolate the battery immediately; place it in non-flammable material such as sand or kitty litter; never put it in the trash, water, home recycling bins or the organization’s collection boxes; then contact the manufacturer or order one of its damaged-battery recycling kits. The kits exist because US Department of Transportation rules require special packaging to ship a damaged lithium battery. The organization also lists trained drop-off locations that can accept damaged batteries in Illinois, New York, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Its customer service number is 1-877-723-1297.

The manufacturer — especially if there is a recall

Before you dispose of anything, spend two minutes on cpsc.gov/recalls with the brand and the model number printed on the power bank. If the model is recalled, you are owed a remedy — usually a replacement or refund — and the recall notice will tell you what proof the company wants before you dispose of the unit. In the September 2025 Anker recall, for example, the CPSC notice required a photo showing the model number, serial number, the owner’s name, the date and the word “recalled” written on the unit in permanent marker — something you cannot produce after the power bank is gone.

If it is not recalled but is under warranty, contact the manufacturer anyway. The EPA’s own advice for a damaged lithium-ion battery is to contact the battery or device manufacturer for specific handling information. And if a power bank overheated, caught fire or swelled well within its expected life, you can report it at SaferProducts.gov; those reports are how recalls start.

What about a power bank that is just old, not swollen?

Then it is easy. Follow the EPA’s preparation advice — tape over the ports or terminals with non-conductive tape, or place the unit in its own plastic bag — and take it to any retail drop-off box or HHW site. The strict rules above apply to damaged, defective and recalled batteries, not to ones that have simply worn out.

What to buy next

A swelling incident is a reasonable moment to buy on safety rather than on capacity per dollar. Three things matter more than the chemistry on the label.

1. A brand that will still exist when something goes wrong. Recalls only help you if the company runs them. Anonymous marketplace brands do not.

2. A stated safety standard. UL 2056 is UL’s safety standard written specifically for power banks; UL Solutions describes it as the first standard dedicated to the category, covering the pack as a system rather than just the cells inside. Look for the listing on the product page or the unit.

3. Treating it well. Heat is the main killer. Do not leave any power bank in a parked car in summer, and do not store it at 100 percent for months — see the storage guide linked below.

With those in place, chemistry is a sensible tiebreaker.

Semi-solid-state is the option you can actually buy in pocket size in the US today. BMX launched its SolidSafe magnetic power banks on Amazon US in mid-2026 with 5,000 and 10,000 mAh models starting at $59, and Kuxiu has sold semi-solid-state magnetic packs since 2025. Both companies say the reduced liquid electrolyte lowers the risk of swelling and fire. Treat that as a manufacturer claim with plausible chemistry behind it, not as independent test data.

Check semi-solid-state power banks on Amazon

LiFePO4 is where the US market and the Japanese market differ. In Japan, Elecom sells a 12,000 mAh lithium iron phosphate power bank (DE-C39-12000, pictured above) in ordinary electronics stores, and in 2025 added a 9,000 mAh sodium-ion model (DE-C55L-9000) that it describes as the first of its kind. In the US, pocket-sized LiFePO4 power banks from established brands are still uncommon; where the chemistry has become the norm is one size up, in portable power stations from Bluetti, Jackery, EcoFlow and Anker Solix. If what swelled was a big 25,000 mAh-plus brick you used for camping or outages, a small LiFePO4 power station is a legitimate replacement.

Check small LiFePO4 power stations on Amazon

A conventional power bank from a brand that runs recalls remains a reasonable choice; the Anker recalls above are an argument for such companies, not against them.

Check UL 2056 listed power banks on Amazon

Check Anker 10,000 mAh power banks on Amazon

Where this article stops

• Local rules win. Battery disposal law is set by states and municipalities. Several states now have battery stewardship laws that are expanding drop-off options, and the details are changing year to year. Your HHW program’s answer overrides anything written here.
• We are not a fire authority. The isolation steps above are the ones published by the EPA and The Battery Network. If you are unsure whether a battery is merely swollen or actively failing, treat it as failing and call your fire department’s non-emergency line — or 911 if there is heat, smoke or noise. A swollen battery inside a phone or laptop belongs with the manufacturer or a repair shop; do not pry it out.

Summary

A swollen power bank is a damaged lithium-ion battery: stop using it, never charge it again, and isolate it in sand or kitty litter in a non-flammable container away from anything that burns. It cannot go in the trash, the curbside bin or a store’s battery box. Check cpsc.gov for a recall first, then call your municipal household hazardous waste program and say “swollen” — or use The Battery Network’s damaged-battery kit. When you replace it, buy from a brand that handles recalls, look for UL 2056, and consider semi-solid-state in pocket sizes or LiFePO4 in power-station sizes.

Related guides

• Power Bank Summer Heat and Storage
• Power Bank Airplane Rules (US)
• LiFePO4 vs NMC Power Stations
• Best Power Banks 2026: Real Charge Counts
• Japanese Power Banks: Import Guide