Onondaga County Fire and Waste officials are asking local residents to change their habits when disposing of batteries. Specifically, rechargeables found in electronics. Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief George Cowburn says some of those rechargeable batteries cause fires when they’re grouped together or thrown away improperly.
“We find the overwhelming cause of lithium ion battery caused fires is when those batteries get damaged,” said Cowburn. “Whether that’s from human causes, trying to doctor them up for some reason, or whether that’s through the trash collection process where you’re throwing them in the trash and then into a garbage truck where they’re compacted and crushed.”
When a string of batteries cause a fire, Cowburn says it’s hard to put out because the batteries continue to generate heat. The Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency has set up kiosks in four community centers for recycling lithium ion and other rechargeable batteries. OCRRA Recycling Director Kristen Lawton says the centers are set up to help people learn the best way to dispose of batteries.
“There are a lot of rechargeable batteries out in circulation these days, and I think a lot of folks don’t understand that they can be recycled, and it’s really important to do that,” said Lawton. “In fact, there’s actually a New York State law that prohibits them from going in your trash, and they’re also not acceptable in your curbside recycling, but you can drop them off for recycling.”…