WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Starting Dec. 1, a new North Carolina law makes it illegal to put lithium-ion batteries in household trash or recycling.
Damaged batteries can spark fires.
Lithium-ion batteries help power everyday items. According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the average American home contains about 40 objects powered by lithium-ion batteries.
The department says the batteries can be found in electric shavers, power tools, car keys, golf carts, electronics, rechargeable appliances and even some hearing aids and vapes. A longer list of items that contain lithium-ion batteries can be found here.
Joe Suleyman, director of recycling and solid waste for New Hanover County, said the fear of the batteries accidentally catching fire at county facilities is constant.
“If it gets to the landfill it creates a public safety risk,” Suleyman said. “Here at the recycling facility, just the loss of millions of dollars worth of equipment or possibly the loss of life is very concerning to us.”
Suleyman said that when a battery is compromised in the compactor of a trash truck or at the recycling center, thermal runaway can occur, and there is a lot of fuel for a fire to take hold.
He said a fire could start in a garbage truck. Those trucks cost $400,000 to $500,000, he said.
Suleyman said the county is looking into different fire suppression systems, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
He said that as the use of disposable vape pins becomes more common, the risk of a lithium-ion fire increases. Suleyman said there is no efficient way to recycle the vapes because the lithium-ion batteries are part of the device.
“With a lot of those vape pins being disposable, we are literally going to be seeing thousands upon thousands of these things entering our landfills across the country, not only in New Hanover County,” he said. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen, essentially.”
Suleyman said he thinks the new law is a good thing but wishes enforcement came with it.
Suleyman encouraged New Hanover County residents to use the county’s household hazardous waste program to dispose of the batteries. He said taking the extra steps to protect loved ones and the community is worth it.
He said New Hanover County residents can also use the battery disposal area at any public library.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has a search tool that allows users to enter an address and get a list of nearby drop-off locations.
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