Creative hobbies are an opportunity to relax and focus on something outside of work or school. Ceramics can be a fun creative outlet for all ages + skill levels. Betty’s Ceramics Club, located at 224 9th Street in Jersey City’s Hamilton Park neighborhood, is a community space where kids and adults can take hand-building and wheel-throwing classes. Beginners + experienced ceramic artists are all welcome to take a class or sign up for a membership at Betty’s. Keep reading to learn more about this neighborhood ceramics studio.
All About Betty’s
Betty’s Ceramics Club is a neighborhood craft studio founded by Sam Spratt and McKendree Key. The duo met in Brooklyn six years ago and opened the Hamilton Park studio at 224 9th Street in 2023.
The studio is named after Sam’s grandmother, Betty, who taught him the importance of being a good neighbor. During the pandemic, Sam used ceramics to help raise money for community organizations + Covid relief.
The beautiful Hamilton Park studio is a welcoming space with tons of natural light + plants. The space has everything artists need to create one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces.
Pottery enthusiasts of all ages can take classes or sign up for an event. Betty’s has memberships for more experienced artists who can use the space on their own. To apply for a studio membership, artists must first take Betty’s Beginner Wheel or Intro to Handbuilding courses – or an equivalent course.
Read More: The Best Indoor Activities in Hoboken + Jersey City
Neighborhood Ceramics Studio Events
Betty’s Ceramics Club hosts one-time events for adults who want to try making pottery without committing to a multi-week class.
Date nights are held on Friday and Saturday nights. Couples will create two ceramic pieces each on the pottery wheel. All materials, aprons, and supplies are provided, but attendees can make the class BYOB if they want.
Try nights take place on Saturday nights. These one-time classes cover the basics of ceramics + wheel throwing. Participants will create a piece of pottery that will be fired + ready for pick-up in a few weeks.
Special events for holidays are scheduled throughout the year. Keep an eye out on Instagram or the website for upcoming one-off events. Previous events have included learning how to make Halloween lanterns + spring floral vases.
Anyone looking for a party venue can consider Betty’s. The ceramics studio has three party packages which include kid’s clay parties and handbuilding + wheel throwing parties for adults. The parties last two hours + party guests will learn how to create pottery pieces during the event.
Classes for All Ages
Bettys has multi-week classes in addition to date nights, try nights, + special events. Adult wheel throwing and handbuilding classes are available for everyone from beginners to advanced pottery artists.
Adults who want to try a class without committing to an 8-week program can join the Beginner Wheel Shorts Class. This is a 4-week class that covers all the basics of wheel throwing in a more condensed format.
The Welcome to Hell Class is designed for intermediate potters with two or more years of experience who want to learn advanced moves + have conceptual conversations about designs.
Kids ages 5 to 9 can join the afterschool clay club. This interactive program helps kids develop pottery skills in a fun environment. Older kids ages 10-14 can sign up for the 10-week intro to hand-building + wheel-throwing class.
See More: The Best Antique Shops in Northern New Jersey
Family classes are held on the weekends so kids and adults can learn a new skill together. Summer camps and holiday break camps are also held at Betty’s. These camps encourage kids to be creative and help them make new friends outside of school.
Where to Drop Off Batteries in Hoboken + Jersey City
If you've ever wondered or questioned where to drop off batteries in Hoboken and Jersey City (because you shouldn't be throwing them out,) you've asked a great question. After all, batteries contain chemicals, hazardous materials, and waste — all toxic to the environment. By simply throwing batteries in the regular household trash, you're exposing the environment and others to some potentially dangerous hazards. In February 2025, the City of Hoboken implemented new battery fire safety laws to prevent fast-spreading and potentially deadly fires caused by uncertified lithium-ion batteries, so we're sharing everything you need to know about battery disposal locally. Read on to find out where to drop off batteries in Hoboken + Jersey City, New Jersey.
What to Know About Battery Disposal
The household trash is designed for common waste and food waste (but don't forget about local composting options found here.) When batteries are thrown in the mix, the people who handle the garbage, work at the landfills, and work in water supply become exposed.
Sure, there's some debate about whether or not it's safe to dispose of regular alkaline batteries in the trash. Quartz reports that it's totally fine, as most batteries aren't made with mercury anymore like they were until the early-to-mid 1990s. We can thank the 1996 Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act for the "phasing out" of mercury in our batteries; though some batteries can still contain trace contaminants of mercury today. Aside from "special" batteries like car, watch, and rechargeable batteries, battery companies like Duracell and Energizer maintain that throwing away alkaline batteries is totally safe. Even the City website says alkaline batteries may be disposed in the household garbage.
Read More: A Guide to Resident Resources in Hoboken, New Jersey
But remember: Not everyone agrees batteries should just be chucked out. The Environmental Health + Safety department at UC Santa Cruz maintains that all batteries should be properly recycled rather than discarded in household trash. Residential Waste Systems also concurs, citing a few of the toxic wastes that batteries are still made with today. Especially if your batteries aren't alkaline, you're going to want to recycle them properly. Despite the debate on alkaline batteries, lead-acid batteries are not supposed to be thrown in the household garbage under any circumstance. Instead, they must be recycled.
These include — but are not limited to — cadmium, lithium, lead, mercury, manganese, and potassium. Because of these toxic substances, batteries require a unique recycling process in order to be disposed of correctly.
According to Residential Waste Systems, batteries go to a hammer mill, where they are smashed. Here, the liquid toxins leak out and those metals are swept away and disposed of separately from the rest of the battery. The toxins go into containment, which separate themselves, thanks to gravity. Then, each individual toxin is disposed of in an environmentally way, based on the chemical and toxin that it is. In landfills, batteries do not require this kind of recycling attention. That's why it's important to dispose of batteries correctly.
So, now that you know all the reasons you shouldn't throw a battery in the trash, what's the correct way to dispose of them?
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety Laws in Hoboken
On Tuesday, February 25th, the City of Hoboken announced via a press release that it would be implementing new Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety Laws to prevent fast-spreading and potentially deadly fires caused by uncertified lithium-ion batteries.
The Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety Ordinance — which was recently approved by the City Council — was created under the guidance of Hoboken Fire Chief Peskens and Hoboken Fire Marshal Stephen DiVincent and prohibits the sale, repair, and/or use of second-hand lithium-ion batteries. The law also prohibits the charging and/or storage of a lithium-ion powered battery or a lithium-ion battery powered mobility devices in common areas, including basements, lobbies, and hallways, of residential properties with three or more units.
Spots for Disposal
First, you could drop batteries off at a battery bank. Battery banks exist in high traffic areas of our communities and you might be surprised to find out which of our local stores take your old batteries:
- Staples | 613 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City
- Home Depot | 180 12th Street, Jersey City
In Hoboken, alkaline batteries (your typical household batteries) can be disposed of in regular household garbage. The City of Hoboken shared that for 9-volt batteries, the Division of Sanitation recommends placing a piece of electrical tape over the terminals to prevent any potential contact with metal, which could generate heat. For rechargeable batteries, such as cell phone, laptop, or car batteries, proper disposal is required. These batteries can be dropped off at the City's Public Works facility at 1501 Madison Street Monday through Friday from 9AM to 4PM.
See More: 22 Montclair Area News Stories
In Jersey City, alkaline batteries can also be disposed of in regular household garbage. Rechargeable batteries can be disposed of during the City's household hazardous waste, electronics, and tire recycling day. The next event in Jersey City will take place on Saturday, June 7th at the Jersey City Municipal Service Complex at 13-15 Linden Avenue.
