Tossing batteries in the trash is a wasteful habit at best and a dangerous one at worst, according to Ken Miller, agency administrator at Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency. Therefore, officials are leading a city-wide effort to provide residents with another way to toss their used batteries.
Miller said that when batteries are thrown away, their internal chemistry can become damaged, which can result in the battery igniting. 鈥淭he battery can get damaged, which can cause the battery to self-ignite. The risk there is that it could catch on fire in the collection vehicle (or) when it gets to the landfill. If they put it in the recycling, it could catch on fire at the recycling facility,鈥� Miller said.
Battery fires have occurred at the landfill in the past, though none have been serious. Batteries of any kind should always be properly recycled, Miller explained. DMASWA is trying to make that task easier for residents beginning at the end of August when it opens five battery drop-off points in Dubuque and Asbury, Iowa.