a proper hobbyist setup, well done!

or just change the folder ownership to whatever user you use in the container, but don’t give them write access. that’s how I do it so I can still edit my media as root.

you cannot recycle li ion batteries “normally”. you should remove the battery from the phone and dispose of it as soon as possible. best buy, target, and some other techy stores take them, so call around. phone repair shops should also be able to help. a conductive container is also a bad idea. airtight plastic is the way to go if you’re that concerned about it, however once it’s removed from the device you can realistically keep it in any nonconductive container and you’ll be fine.