City waste management officials are often at the front lines of the battle against unsafe battery disposal, because their workers, residents, and facilities are put at risk when lithium-ion batteries are not properly recycled.
A recent report from the National Waste & Recycling Association and Resource Recycling Systems estimates that more than 5,000 fires occur annually at recycling facilities. “Materials recovery facilities process single stream recycling and, increasingly, these facilities experience catastrophic fires due to lithium-ion batteries erroneously placed by consumers in with their recyclables,” the report notes.
As part of its Be Nice To Your Device campaign, the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI) partnered with the Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) to host a webinar on June 25, 2024, titled “Safely Recycling Lithium-Ion Batteries: Where We Are, Where We Need to Be.”
More than 80 people — including city officials who manage recycling, solid waste, hazardous materials, and emergency response, along with recycling companies, environmental analysts, and engineers — participated in the webinar, which included a robust question-and-answer session.
The webinar explained how lithium-ion battery recycling must be done safely and separately from other kinds of battery chemistries.
- Lead acid batteries are first crushed in a recycling facility. If lithium-ion batteries are inadvertently mixed with lead acid batteries, a huge fire can be created as lithium-ion batteries experience high temperatures, fire, and/or smoke if crushed.
- Lithium-ion batteries should not be disposed of in the regular trash, as compacting has led to fires in dump trucks and trash recycling centers.
- Metals in the batteries can leach into groundwater if left in landfills for long periods, causing health hazards.
- Lithium-ion batteries should always be disposed of in designated recycling bins, processed separately from other batteries, and never just thrown in the trash.
A recording of the webinar and resources to create awareness and take the lead on safe lithium-ion battery recycling can be found here: Resources | Be Nice To Your Device