Rumpke: Throwing away batteries creates fire risk

This lithium ion battery pack sparked a fire at Rumpke's Cincinnati recycling facility the...
This lithium ion battery pack sparked a fire at Rumpke's Cincinnati recycling facility the morning of March 29. (Source: Rumpke)
Updated: Apr. 8, 2018 at 2:55 PM EDT
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CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - A spokesperson from Rumpke says recycling lithium ion batteries creates a fire risk and puts employees in danger.

Corporate Communications Manager Molly Yeager Broadwater says a small lithium ion battery pack caused a fire at the company's Cincinnati recycling facility the morning of March 29.

"Fortunately no one was injured and the plant wasn't damaged," Broadwater said.

She says people should not place batteries in trash or recycling bins

The Rumpke website reports there were more than a dozen fires caused by batteries at Cincinnati and Columbus recycling facilities in 2017.

"Placing batteries – specifically lithium ion batteries – in your recycling and trash containers causes a dangerous situation," the company states. "When batteries break, they spark fires, putting people – employees and the motoring public – unnecessarily at risk."

Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District also advises that batteries should not be placed in recycling bins or carts under any circumstances.

"Batteries cannot be recycled locally in this way, and they create a fire hazard in recycling trucks and facilities," the district states in its battery disposal guidelines.

Officials says people should take dead or unwanted batteries to one of several locations for collection and proper disposal. The district outlines locations that accept batteries in the link above.

Batteries should be placed in a clear, sealable bag before disposal.

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