Over the past decade, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries have become omnipresent in products such as smartphones, electric toothbrushes and electric vehicles, supplying the daily life of vermonters.
But the new technology has its own challenges, in particular fire safety problems due to inappropriate recycling, said Josh Kelly, head of the solid waste waste program for the waste management and prevention division of the environmental conservation.
Due to these fire safety problems, waste management in 39 states in the country consider them the most difficult type of waste management equipment, said Kelly, citing a study in 2023 conducted by the association of State and territorial Solid Waste Management.
The Vermont Legislative Assembly approved the new recycling requirements for rechargeable batteries last year, and now waste management managers are trying to ensure that the public is aware of them.
Jen Holliday, director of public policies and communications from Chittenden Solid Waste District, said that lithium battery pushes occur every week in their facilities, and that workers are trained to quickly turn fires.
In 2018, the CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT building in Williston caught fire after hours, probably from a damaged lithium battery. Someone noticed smoke and reported the incident, but the fire damaged the roof and the side of a building when the firefighters responded.
The state does not collect data on fires launched by batteries, but Kelly said it was aware of at least five fires related to battery in solid waste installations in the state since 2023, and there has probably been more.
Todd Ellis, vice-president of the national organization Call2recycle, who joins the state to exploit the battery management program, underlined a study by the Environmental Protection Agency which showed that there had been an increase of 3000% of fire-related fires across the United States since 2013.
Jeff Weld, Vice-President of Casella Wastems, said that lithium battery thrusts take place every week in the company’s facilities through New England. He said fires are a major concern due to potential damage to workers and emergency workers and damage to facilities, equipment and vehicles.
Lithium ion battery fires are caused by the thermal rodaway, a chain reaction that occurs when a battery is damaged, heat the battery up to around 700 degrees in seconds, Weld said. Lithium-ion batteries should never be placed in normal garbage cans or recycling bins because they are often full of flammable materials, distributing the fire which is not easy to extinguish, he said.
“Our biggest objective at the beginning of each day is to ensure that all our employees are at home safe for their families, and whether on our trucks or in our facilities, we see more and more these fires caused by poor elimination,” said Weld.
Battery stewardship
Vermont remains ahead of the curve with battery recycling. Vermont was the first state of the country to adopt a law on the management of the alkaline battery for single use in 2014, forcing manufacturers who sell these batteries to pay for battery waste management. The state continues to be a leader in the United States in pounds per capita of recycled batteries, said Ellis.
“The Vermont was a leader of laws and regulations and the batteries are really not different,” said Ellis. “Vermont leads the charge on how to manage these products safely and recycle them in the United States”
Since the battery management program entered into force in 2016, Kelly said that the collection of single -use battery has increased considerably, but that rechargeable battery collection has remained stable at a relatively low level, according to data collected by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
In July 2024, the State adopted law 152, the primary battery of Vermont and the law on the stewardship of rechargeable battery products, the modification of the battery stewardship program to include rechargeable and damaged and defective batteries, and prohibited all batteries in the discharge. Kelly has said that hope is that recycling of rechargeable batteries will increase in the state with the update and awareness of the growing public.
Currently, Kelly has said that Vermonters can recycle single -use batteries and small rechargeable batteries that are not integrated into products in a solid waste area or a local battery deposit location. The 2024 amendment also launched a study on the best way to manage large and integrated lithium lithium batteries such as electric vehicle batteries and the end of life electric walls, Kelly said.
As part of the updating of the battery management program, the State also implements a program of responsibility for extended producers which will come into force on January 1, 2026, which will require companies that sell rechargeable lithium batteries and unique alkaline batteries in Vermont to pay a percentage of battery waste management.
“This changes the paradigm and says that producers will have a seat at the table for their waste and a role and a certain responsibility,” said Kelly.
The batteries damaged in lithium should be stored separately from each other to avoid a thrust, and the battery fire is better contained by materials such as sand or cat litter rather than water due to the high fire temperature, said Breanna Franzoni, head of the program for the Solid Waste District of Rutland.
Landon Wheeler, deputy director of the Vermont Ministry of Public Security Fire Security Division, said the Division recommended Vermonters to follow the instructions for manufacturers from start to end of the life of a battery. New technologies have often posed new fire safety problems, but the public has learned new approaches to mitigate risks, and the same is true for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, Wheeler said.
“In the past 200 years, there has always been a new article that has entered a household. It was candles, then it was whale oil that was used for lighting, then it was natural gas, then it was electricity,” said Wheeler. “Over time, all these new technologies have been presented with their own risks.”
Beyond fire safety problems, appropriate recycling of batteries decreases unnecessary waste and makes it possible to recover and reuse a variety of elementary and precious metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese, with the Chittenden Solid Waste District.
“There are really important components in the batteries that are rare, and we want to recycle them so that the material can be reused,” said Holliday.
Weld said he thought that awareness is noted about appropriate recycling and fire safety practices for lithium batteries, Vermonters will follow suit to protect their environment and fire community.
“I think vermonts want to do the right thing, but if they don’t know what good thing is, that’s where we meet this kind of challenges.”