Since April, discarded lithium batteries have caused nearly $20,000’ worth of damage at the Lewis and Clark County landfill.
"They get run over by the equipment at the landfill or they get compacted by the trash compactors — they spark and ignite and ignite all the trash around them at the landfill. It’s very dangerous," says Miranda Griffis, Helena’s Sustainability and Recycling Coordinator. According to Griffis, these partially charged, discarded batteries also threaten employees and buildings outside the local landfill.
"We actually recently, a couple of weeks ago had a driver who had a fire in the back of his garbage truck. He had to eject his load into the parking lot of a bank here in Helena.”
To help prevent more battery-related fires, Helena and Lewis and Clark County are reallocating $40,000 from household hazardous waste events to expand the local lithium battery recycling program.
Residents are asked to place their lithium battery devices under the large red sign labeled ‘Lithium Battery Drop-Off’, near the E-Waste section of Helena’s Transfer Station recycling area.
Batteries to be recycled will now be stashed in 55 gallon drums outfitted with layers of fire suppressant.
The pilot project also includes an extensive ad campaign to raise awareness of Helena’s revamped battery recycling program.
