News Center Maine Showcases Battery Risks

Steve Henderson, site manager of Casella's material recovery facility (MRF) in Lewiston, Maine discusses the dangers of improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries.

As batteries have become more prevalent in our daily lives, they’ve also become prevalent in household waste and recycling bins. Unfortunately, the result has been an alarming increase in fires and explosions in the trucks and facilities that we all rely on to manage our waste and recyclables. These fires – which occur when batteries get punctured or crushed by heavy equipment – endanger the safety of the men and women who run these operations, as well as the first responders who come to help.

Many people are unaware of how to discard their unwanted lithium-ion batteries. Here’s what you should know:

• Don’t put lithium-ion batteries into your recycling bin
• Don’t put lithium-ion batteries into your trash bin
• Do visit Call2Recycle to locate your nearest free drop-off location for old batteries.

News Center Maine recently visited our Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Lewiston, Maine to learn more about the dangers waste and recycling workers face and how the public can help.