Thinking of doing well, many citizens of Quebec City – but also from all over the world -, have made a habit of putting their lithium batteries in the recycling bin, but this practice must quickly end.
In addition to posing a danger to the environment, these used batteries can endanger the safety of collection truck drivers and employees of sorting centers.
As lithium batteries at the end of their life cannot be recharged, they should be discarded when empty. However, many do not know how to dispose of them safely.
If putting them in the garbage bin is not recommended – because they contain heavy metals –, disposing of it in the recycling bin is not the solution either. Here’s why!
Explosions and fires
When transported in collection trucks or when they end up in sorting centers, lithium batteries can pose a threat. This is because when they break or are crushed, they can explode, which can lead to sparks or even flames. The risk of fire is then increased tenfold by the presence of other recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard.
Each year in Quebec City, between three and four fires caused by these batteries break out in the trucks and at the sorting center. And it is the employees who are the main victims: their health and safety are compromised.
At the sorting center, for example, equipment breakdown and plant shutdown while the incident is being handled have serious financial consequences. A 30-minute break on the schedule represents an additional cost of a few thousand dollars. And it is all citizens who pay the bill.
It is therefore important to put an end to this bad habit of throwing lithium batteries in the recycling bin. Especially since their presence is on the rise due to the increase in their use to operate electronic devices: cell phones, construction tools, video game controllers, etc.
How to dispose of it safely?
There are several ways you can dispose of lithium batteries:
1. They can be brought to an ecocentre: Quebec City has five to serve its citizens.
2. There are also mobile ecocentres, between May and October, eight times a year. These are safe places to dispose of used batteries.
3. All the libraries in the capital are also equipped with Recycle Call boxes, managed by an organization specializing in battery recovery.
4. You can also consult cmquebec.qc.ca to find a drop-off point to return the batteries to a recycler.
Thanks to the efforts of all citizens, collectively, let’s stop throwing these batteries in the blue bin in order to minimize the risks for employees and for the environment.