LANCASTER, Pa. — To help combat the risk of accidental fires, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) launched a new public education campaign.
The reason behind the campaign comes after a string of accidental fires at various waste management and recycling facilities.
“We are seeing an increase in fires in, not only trash trucks, but also at our waste processing facilities,” said Karen Gross, the communications manager for LCSWMA.
Common household items such as laptops, smartphones, garden tools, and e-cigarettes contain rechargeable batteries that are made from lithium and nickel. The combustibility of those materials can make these items potential fire hazards.
“People don’t understand that rechargeable batteries are in so many common household items,” Gross said.
Earlier this week, LCSWMA reported a fire in one of its transfer trailers caused by a lithium battery. Staff were able to detect the fire using heat-signature technology and were able to stop it from spreading. No one was hurt.
In March 2022, the Penn Waste Recycling Center experienced a fire that caused several million dollars in damage. The cause of that fire was suspected to be from a lithium battery that was improperly disposed of.
Fires can ignite when a battery is damaged or experiences extreme pressure during transportation to a disposal facility.
“[A battery] is transported in the back of a trash truck, where the waste tends to be compressed, and when that compression action occurs, we have the risk of the battery catching fire,” Gross explained.
While the chance of fire is low for most battery-powered items, it’s important for people to monitor their devices in case they start to act abnormally. Gross encourages people to follow the user manual that comes with most battery-powered devices, and not use modifications or third-party adapters, such as a charger.
“We always tell residents that if they notice their device or their battery is swollen or bloated or becomes sort of soft in nature, then we know that essentially the battery is probably damaged,” Gross said.
Experts also encourage people to visit facilities like the LCSWMA to safely dispose of their old batteries. People can visit the facility in their car where a staff member will take the device and dispose of it.
Anyone who lives outside of Lancaster County can also visit Call2Recycle to find other local waste management and disposal facilities that dispose of batteries.