Household Hazardous Waste Tip

Household Hazardous Waste Tip

• Batteries cause havoc when put in recycling bins ​
• Throwing rechargeable batteries in a recycling bin or the garbage can put property and people’s lives at risk. In fact, fires traced to lithium ion batteries have been reported at recycling facilities nationwide, and fires have started in the garbage trucks that go to your home.
• These batteries power our cell phones, cordless power tools and even hover boards. According to a recent Resource Recycling article https://cloud.3dissue.com/168774/169114/197590/RR0319/index.html, they have components that are flammable. The battery heats up when shorted or damaged, and when that happens, they produce oxygen, which facilitates combustion.
• “We may only be starting to see the tip of the iceberg,” said SWA Director of Facility and Contract Operations Ray Schauer. “Production of these batteries has tripled since 2015 and growth is estimated to continue. The fact that we could see more of these lithium batteries at our facilities is cause for concern.”

Fortunately, Palm Beach County Residents can dispose of rechargeable (non-alkaline) batteries at any of the SWA's seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers https://swa.org/171/Home-Chemical-Disposal.
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• Regular alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt) can be placed in your garbage. But any other type of battery (rechargeable, nickel-cadmium, automotive, lithium-ion, cell phone, lead-acid) should be dropped at one of the Home Chemical and Recycling Centers https://swa.org/171/Home-Chemical-Disposal.

Location: Jupiter

North County Transfer Station

14185 N. Military Trail (SWA Road) in Jupiter

Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.