VTDigger Promotes Battery Disposal Awareness

A box filled with lithium-ion batteries that were pulled off the line at a Casella recycling facility.

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 we 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 and the first responders who come to help.

“Our biggest goal at the start of every day is to get all of our people home safe to their families, and whether it’s on our trucks or in our facilities, we’re seeing more and more of these fires caused by improper disposal.”

- Jeff Weld, Vice President of Communications

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
• Visit Call2Recycle to find your nearest free drop-off location for old batteries.

VTDigger covered the issue in a recent article that details the dangers and helps inform readers on proper disposal methods.