How should I safely dispose of an old phone with a swollen battery?

Lithium batteries can ignite even when they seem completely dead, so don’t put the phone in household trash or a normal recycling bin. If it’s already in a safe location, leave it there and call your local waste-disposal service, fire department’s non-emergency line, or battery recycler for guidance. If it becomes hot, smokes, leaks, or starts making noises, move away and call emergency services rather than trying to transport it yourself.

Treat it as a fire hazard. Don’t charge it, use it, press the phone back together, or puncture or remove the battery unless you’re specifically trained to do so. Keep it away from heat and anything flammable, and avoid handling it more than necessary. Contact a local hazardous-waste or electronics-recycling facility and tell them it has a swollen lithium-ion battery so they can give you safe drop-off instructions.