These detectors should be replaced when they are 10 years old or are malfunctioning. Therefore, you will eventually need to properly dispose of them.
There are two kinds of detectors: Ionizing smoke detectors (which contain a small amount of radioactive Americium 241) and photoelectric Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors, which have no radioactive content. The Americium 241 poses little threat, but if broken open it can become a health hazard.
To correctly dispose of these alarms, please send them back to the manufacturer who is required to accept returned radioactive detectors. Contact the manufacture and follow their procedures to mail the alarm to them in a package marked “For Disposal”. If the unit contains removable batteries, please remove them and dispose of them appropriately since if lithium or rechargeable batteries are used, they are handled as Household Hazardous Waste.
If there is no manufacturer that will accept your alarms, you can recycle them with Curie Services at https://curieservices.com/mail-back-program/. You pack the alarms and pay for shipping, and they handle the disposal. As of May 2026, the cost is $12.50 to dispose of 3 units.
Although Essex County has Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collections, they do not accept any of these alarms.