From remote controls to game consoles, e-cigarettes to electric toothbrushes, even singing greeting cards, batteries are everywhere.
When they die, it’s easy to toss them in the trash and forget about them.
But three fires in less than a month at Recology’s materials recovery facility on Standish Avenue in south Santa Rosa show why we can’t.
All three, including one that destroyed nearly half a million dollars worth of equipment, were later linked to household batteries or battery packs that were improperly tossed into recycling bins instead of being disposed of properly.
What I think people don’t realize is that if you hold a battery in your hand, there is no risk of ignition. They don’t realize that when they put it in their recycling bin, there’s a lot of movement and movement, said Celia Furber, manager of community relations and sustainability for Recology Marin Sonoma. The truck has a compactor and has scratches that can damage the battery and cause a spark.
The fires occurred April 30, May 22 and 24 at the Standish Avenue materials recovery center for Recology Marin-Sonoma, which serves all Sonoma County towns except Windsor and Sonoma, as well as the unincorporated county and five communities in Marin and southern Mendocino County. .
All three were suppressed by Recology personnel or local firefighters, preventing them from spreading beyond the area.
In the first case, a supervisor noticed smoke coming from a pile of materials that quickly burst into flames. A loader operator began to move the burning material, but parts entered the engine compartment before the fire was extinguished, rendering the loader inoperable, Furber said.
Replacing it will cost about $470,000, she said.
Three weeks later, a loader operator saw smoke and flames again, prompting three fire engines to respond from a nearby station on Todd Road to put out the flames.
Two days after that, a garbage hauler was on his way to the facility when he smelled smoke coming from his truck. He called ahead to warn the staff of his imminent arrival. When he dumped his load of recyclables in a special hot cargo area, several battery packs were determined to be responsible.
Furber said all three fires were caused by AA or AAA batteries, which can easily be disposed of properly for free, along with other types of batteries. Lithium-ion batteries used in many rechargeable electronic devices are particularly prone to fire.
CalRecycle, the state’s recycling agency, says batteries are the leading cause of fires at California waste facilities, sometimes causing injuries as well as millions of dollars in damage.
State law requires that they be disposed of as hazardous waste, out of the general waste stream. However, about 7,294 tons of batteries illegally went into landfills in 2021, CalRecycle said, risking the leakage of toxic acids and metals and preventing the valuable materials used in their manufacture from being detected and at risk of exploding or burning.
Instead, residents can collect used batteries for disposal at a variety of hardware, office supply and government sites. They can also be zip-locked and left on top of blue recycling bins for curbside collection.
Rechargeable electronics and other devices with embedded batteries should also be disposed of as e-waste, for which the county has facilities.
To find a battery recycling site near you, consult Call2recycle.org.
Lithium batteries in cellphones and other electronic devices are especially dangerous, so it’s very important to dispose of these items properly, Furber said.
As for the removable batteries, she said, it’s very simple and convenient for our customers to just put the batteries in a sealed bag and place them on top of the bin and take it from there. This way the batteries will not interact with any material that could cause them to ignite and cause a fire.
Courtesy : yomblogs.com