little fires everywhere

How to recycle lithium ion batteries and prevent fires

I know reading the combination of words that create the phrase “lithium batteries” is immediately dull, but bear with me. Lithium batteries — the devices that power your laptop, cell phone, AirPods, e-scooters — have made possible a world where you can privately listen to U2 while emailing a client while riding your hoverboard all without being physically plugged into anything. The freedom!

The lithium battery is a modern marvel in its own right, but not-so-marvelous is what happens at its end of life. When it comes to throwing away electronics (that’s e-waste, baby), most of us have no idea what we’re doing. You might let an archaic iPhone sit in the back of a junk drawer for years until you move, at which point you might just throw it in the garbage and move on with your life.

This isn’t the right course of action (and it’s actually illegal in New York State!!!!!), but it’s not really your fault: Information about proper e-waste disposal is scant, confusing and not prioritized by the manufacturers (an issue for another day), so of course the U.S. produces close to 7 billion tons of e-waste every year. Bad battery disposal is a problem not only because it adds to the ever-growing landfill, but also because it can start fires.

ack!

Fires! This is a different kind of bad recycling problem than most of us are used to. We know that throwing a plastic bottle in the trash has consequences, but typically, we don’t feel those consequences immediately. Out of sight, out of mind type thing. Fires, on the other hand, can change peoples’ lives in a flash.

And this isn’t hypothetical: In 2022, lithium batteries sparked more than 200 fires in NYC alone, killing six people and injuring close to 150, per NBC News. The instances are on the rise as we continue to electrify everything (which was supposed to be, and is, in many cases, a good thing). They happen in homes, in garbage trucks when the compactor is shifting shit around, and in recycling/trash-collection facilities. Do you nerds remember the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was exploding in peoples’ pockets? The culprit was failing batteries.

What to do instead of light the house on fire

“We need to create awareness around lithium batteries because they’re pretty much in everything,” Jeremy Walters, manager of external communications for Republic Services, told me over Zoom with a new puppy sitting on his lap (@Jeremy, please share Finn’s DNA results, when you get them, in the comments below).

I asked Jeremy about some of the more surprising products containing these batteries, and he mentioned SINGING GREETING CARDS. You know those cards that you can buy at CVS that will sing happy birthday, etc upon opening? Many of the little batteries that power them are inscribed with “LI-ION,” which, yes, symbolizes lithium. These have great potential to be problematic because people will often throw them in with the recycling (paper card = recyclable) and, you know, paper + fire = much more fire. Other items that you might not know contain these batteries:

• Electric toothbrushes

• Bluetooth speakers

• Power tools

• Medical devices

• Let us repeat, singing greeting cards

• Automated external defibrillators (AEDs)

• Drones

• Rechargeable devices like cordless computer mouses/mice/moose

• Kindles

• Game controllers

• Smart watches

Some practical safety tips from Republic Services:

• Don’t give your devices a chance to overheat. Keep them in dry, cool place.

• Don’t leave your products plugged in for too long. This can lead to overheating and kaboomies.

• Don’t put heavy objects atop your devices — the pressure could lead to leaking or worse.

In terms of safely discarding/recycling these items, there are a handful of options:

• Stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Staples and Best Buy have drop off boxes in their facilities.

• This search tool over on Earth 911 helps you find drop off centers within your area.

• Organizations like Republic Services have send back programs. With Republic’s in particular, you can order pre-addressed mail-back kits to send in things like batteries and light bulbs (separately), and they’ll ensure the materials are properly recycled.

It’s worth mentioning that drop off/send back options are helpful — a start — but the system is imperfect. People are bad recyclers when it comes to standard household waste like cardboard boxes and plastic containers; there’s no way in hell we can be expected to be good at recycling lithium batteries.

Ultimately, we’ll need regulations that require sellers to bear the responsibility of safely recycling the materials they sell. And there’s hope for this (maybe): Battery-related EPR (extended producer responsibility) laws are popping up around the country. From Waste Dive:

In 2021, Washington, D.C., enacted the first comprehensive EPR law in the U.S. for rechargeable and primary batteries. Battery manufacturers began joining approved battery stewardship programs and submitting compliance plans to the District in 2023.

In 2022, California established its own EPR program for a range of single-use and rechargeable batteries and established a stakeholder advisory board. 

In 2023, Washington state enacted an EPR for batteries law that also includes a range of battery types. It also established labeling requirements for certain batteries and required a public education component. Though EV batteries were not included in that state’s EPR program, the law requires the state’s Department of Ecology to publish policy recommendations for EV battery collection and other large-format battery types by April 2024.

It frustrates me deeply that most waste laws in this country are enacted by individual states, making them both confusing and slow, but what’s a good little garbage girl to do?

See you at the lithium campfire to roast marshmallows!