Know your local laws when it comes to alkaline batteries. Alkaline, or manganese, batteries are used in flashlinghts, toys, remote controls and smoke alarms. They range in size from AAA to 9 volts. In many areas, you can dispose of them in your household trash. However, in California, it is illegal to dispose of them in the trash ; instead, they go with household hazardous wast collection for special recycling. If you choose to recycle them regardless, your community likely has a location for easy drop-off, and many stores have a return-to-vendor box for batteries.