In 2023 America your cellphone, laptop, camera, rechargeable vacuum and even greeting cards contain batteries. And each one of those batteries, if heated or punctured, can start a fire with devastating consequences.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments kicked off a four-week education campaign to let people know it’s not okay to just throw away an old battery. Proper disposal is needed to save lives and lessen property destruction.
A new website guides residents on how and where to dispose of batteries.
“At this very moment, all of us have a battery,” said Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Chair Kate Stewart, who also is a County Councilmember. Because so many residents are just tossing old batteries in their trash or recycling bins, “We have seen an uptick in the number of fires that are directly attributed to batteries,” she said.
Lithium, lithium-ion, nickel cadmium and other batteries are all fire risks, said Eric Grabowsky, Arlington County’s Solid Waste Bureau Chief during a presentation Friday at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy in Montgomery Village.
Batteries that are cut, compressed or heated accidently can start fires.
“Batteries are dangerous, because they hold an electric charge,” said Ivan Browning, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Hazardous Materials Battalion Chief. “Every battery has a danger associated with it,” he said, adding, “We just never know exactly when it will go off.”
According to a COG news release, “Incidents of fire on trash and recycling collection trucks and at trash and recycling processing facilities continue to trend upward.”
Firefighters demonstrate how easily batteries can start a fire. Their message is-batteries need to be disposed of properly @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/7DLTHJdbzL
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) April 7, 2023
Fire Safety Demo Lithium Batteries and https://t.co/Rj7G5gihcH
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 7, 2023
