Onondaga County Fire and Waste officials are asking local residents to change their habits when disposing of batteries. Specifically, rechargeables found in electronics. Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief George Cowburn says some of those rechargeable batteries cause fires when they’re grouped together or thrown away improperly.
"We find the overwhelming cause of lithium ion battery caused fires is when those batteries get damaged,” said Cowburn. “Whether that's from human causes, trying to doctor them up for some reason, or whether that's through the trash collection process where you're throwing them in the trash and then into a garbage truck where they're compacted and crushed.”
When a string of batteries cause a fire, Cowburn says it’s hard to put out because the batteries continue to generate heat. The Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency has set up kiosks in four community centers for recycling lithium ion and other rechargeable batteries. OCRRA Recycling Director Kristen Lawton says the centers are set up to help people learn the best way to dispose of batteries.
“There are a lot of rechargeable batteries out in circulation these days, and I think a lot of folks don't understand that they can be recycled, and it's really important to do that,” said Lawton. “In fact, there's actually a New York State law that prohibits them from going in your trash, and they're also not acceptable in your curbside recycling, but you can drop them off for recycling.”
The drop-offs are at the Magnarelli, Cecile, Southwest and Northeast Community centers. They’ll take button and coin batteries, single-use lithium batteries, and any rechargeable batteries up to 11 pounds, including those used in power tools. People are asked to put batteries individually in separate plastic bags, or put clear packing tape over the terminals to avoid sparking with others. Lawton adds alkaline batteries can now simply go into the trash since they no longer contain hazardous materials. The new OCRRA household battery kiosks don’t accept damaged, defective or recalled batteries or batteries considered high-energy for e-bikes or scooters and lawn mowers. The drop-off locations only accept batteries less than 11 pounds. Batteries used in workplaces cannot be dropped off. Single use button and coin sized batteries and rechargeable batteries should never be placed in home recycling or trash bins.
OCRRA Battery Drop-off locations:
Wegmans
Green Hills Market
5933 S. Salina Street, Syracuse
Civic Center
421 Montgomery Street, Syracuse
Armond Magnarelli Community Center
2308 Grant Boulevard, Syracuse
Bob Cecile Community Center
174 West Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse
Southwest Community Center
401 South Ave, Syracuse
(Enter near Clover Street. When using GPS, use 13204 zip code)
Syracuse Northeast Community Center
716 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse