BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Lithium and rechargeable batteries power phones, laptops and even kids’ toys — but tossing old ones in your trash or recycling cart is creating a dangerous problem for Broken Arrow’s solid waste crews.
Broken Arrow Solid Waste Director Jerry Schuber said when batteries end up in garbage trucks, the results can be explosive.
“When they throw away the rechargeable battery, it compresses in our truck and once it compacts, we have what’s called thermal runaway. It explodes and when it explodes, it creates a fire,” Schuber said.
That fire ignites the garbage inside the truck, endangering the driver and the vehicle. It happened again on Thursday, and Schuber said it is becoming a recurring problem.
“We’ve had about four in the last, I want to say two months,” Schuber said…