The Treasure Valley’s recycling service has seen a steep uptick in truck fires: an increase of almost 100% every year for the last three years, said Rachele Klein, the business director for Republic Services.
The culprit is clear. Of the five truck fires the company dealt with in 2023, four were caused by lithium batteries, which can cause fires or explosions when crushed, Klein told the Idaho Statesman. The problem, she said, is that these batteries are used in a huge range of products — and many consumers don’t know how to dispose of them safely. The companies who produce them, meanwhile, largely abdicate responsibility for their disposal, leaving local governments to cover the cost of fire damage or training for trash collectors.
“Everything we do now is pretty much powered by batteries … and they’re great, and we’re relying more and more on them,” Klein said. “But there’s this huge disconnect currently between buying all these products and what you do when they’re at the end of their useful life.”