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A tarp valued at $29,000 was destroyed in October at the Scott County Landfill in a fire traced to a lithium-ion battery someone had thrown away in the trash. When it was compacted by landfill equipment, it smoldered during the night and caught fire.

A tarp valued at $29,000 was destroyed in October at the Scott County Landfill in a fire traced to a lithium-ion battery someone had thrown away in the trash. When it was compacted by landfill equipment, it smoldered during the night and caught fire. 

Lithium-ion batteries – the rechargeable kind found in everything from chainsaws and cell phones to kids toys – are a “terrible” problem for the landfill and the Scott Area Recycling Center, as well as similar operations across the country, said Kathy Morris, director of the Waste Commission of Scott County, which oversees both. 

Lithium-ion batteries can short-circuit and burst into flame when damaged, something that can happen as they jostle their way to, and through, the recycling center or when they are thrown into trash, then compacted at the landfill, as happened in October. They also can overheat, causing a condition known as “thermal runaway.” 

While insurance covered $23,000 of the cost of the tarp, fires at both the recycling center and landfill are a growing problem as lithium-ion batteries are becoming more pervasive. In addition to power equipment, cell phones and toys, they’re in laptop computers, fitness trackers, toothbrushes and greeting cards. 

“It’s so prevalent, we kind of take it for granted,” Morris said. That is, people stop realizing that an item they use is actually powered by a battery. 

The proper way to dispose of rechargeable batteries – those that go into a docking station and that contain a “rechargeable” chemical – is to remove them from the item they are in, tape both terminals on each battery, seal the batteries in a plastic bag and drop them off at the Electronics Recovery Center at the recycling center, on Carey Avenue, north of East 53rd St., Davenport. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to noon the first Saturday of every month. 

If you can’t get to the battery in your item – some are made so they are practically impossible to access – then you can take the entire item to the recovery center and staff there will deal with it.  

Most people, though, don’t do this. They either don’t know that this is what they are supposed to do, or they don’t want to bother. And that is why the fires happen. While staff at the recycling center tries to pull out any batteries they spot going through the line, they often slip by undetected because they are small and often flat.   

“We’re seeing them (the batteries) so much more frequently,” Morris said. “The crew will come down pretty much on a daily basis with a (plastic) tote full of batteries.” 

In addition to lithium-ion batteries, other batteries that should be taped up and taken to the Electronics Recovery Center include rechargeable AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt batteries and the small, sealed lead acid batteries found in battery-powered scooters, remote-controlled cars and many children’s toys. 

The original alkaline AA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt batteries that are NOT rechargeable can go in the trash or to the Electronics Recovery Center.  

Fires at the recycling center and landfill generally are put out by staff using fire extinguishers, although the fire department has been called on occasion. 

The recycling center also is equipped with a sprinkler system, but the damage caused by triggering it would put the center out of operation for some time and is something operators want to avoid, Morris said. 

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A tarp valued at $29,000 was destroyed in October at the Scott County Landfill in a fire traced to a lithium-ion battery someone had thrown away in the trash. When it was compacted by landfill equipment, it smoldered during the night and caught fire.

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