TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Once the Christmas sales and giveaways are over, you might be starting the new year with some new gadgets.
Firefighters warn that if you throw certain electronics, tools or toys into the regular trash, you could be in for a fiery fiasco. It all comes down to lithium batteries.
“You should never throw them in household trash cans or trash cans you place at the curb,” said Sheldon Collins, public information officer for the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department.
Collins said throwing lithium batteries into the regular trash can have serious consequences.
“They can catch fire if they are damaged, if they are overloaded or if they are stored in areas that are not at room temperature,” Collins said.
TFRD has even started training on electric car fires, which can be caused by lithium batteries inside.
“It’s changed the way we train, but we’re getting a lot of information on how we treat these batteries,” Collins said.
Waste management companies say garbage trucks can even catch fire if a trash compactor crushes a lithium battery. That’s what one company says almost happened to one of its vehicles last month after trash inside a garbage truck caught fire.
Collins said these delicate batteries are found in more items than one might think.
“They mostly deal with electronics, things we wear every day like headphones,” Collins said. “Computers, laptops, they can be in some toys, they’re also in some cars and in hand-held power tools.”
If you’re not sure whether something contains a lithium battery, Collins says to check the packaging. There may be marking indicating that the product uses lithium batteries.
“You have to dispose of it properly,” Collins said.
If not household waste, where does it go? Well, Collins said there are special facilities capable of recycling these batteries. Some local hardware and battery stores have drop boxes for lithium battery recycling.
Sites like Earth 911 And Call to Recycle can identify battery recycling sites near you.
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