Destroyed lithium-ion batteries caused three garbage truck fires in California

Enlarge / A May 2022 lithium-ion battery safety seminar illustrates what happens when you subject charged batteries to pressure or puncture, or both . Getty Images

A company that handles electronics returned by Amazon has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine after lithium-ion batteries it discarded caused at least three truck fires in different garbage.

iDiskk, LLC, based in San Jose, Calif., agreed to a settlement with the Santa Clara County District Attorney in late November regarding civil charges regarding improper waste disposal, as noted by E-Scrap News . The company, according to the district attorney's office, "dismantles, recycles, and disposes of consumer electronics returned through Amazon, some of which contain lithium-ion batteries."

On three different dates in 2021 (September 22, October 6, and October 13), trucks picked up residential trash at iDiskk's office address in Campbell, CA. A Google Street View look at the address shows a house with a driveway and garage on a tree-lined street. Dozens of lithium-ion batteries have been included with typical recycling materials, allowing them to be crushed and compressed along with other waste. "In each case, the garbage truck driver ejected the load from the truck," read the original complaint, and the cause was found to be batteries.

Although no one was injured in the fires, the fire on October 13, while dumped on the street to avoid a vehicle fire, caused the elevated bin to snag on the lines aerial electricity. The attached electric pole broke and fell to the ground. “These fires are extremely dangerous to the safety of garbage truck drivers and first responders who must then act quickly to deal with the fire,” Assistant District Attorney Christopher Judge said in a news release after the settlement. .

[embedded content] Lithium-ion batteries not only cause fires when punctured or crushed, they will continue to ignite that fire over and over again.

Although this case involves owners of an e-waste business who (by law) should have known not to dispose of batteries in standard recycling, batteries continue to be the main cause of fires in the waste stream. A 2018 survey of recycling facilities by the California Product Safety Council found that 83% of 26 facilities had had a fire in the previous two years, and 65% of those were caused by batteries. A study carried out at the MDPI by Austrian professors revealed that, in the context of an increase in the number of fires and a significant potential for damage, "No other substance or material has ever endangered the whole of comparable waste industry" such as discarded portable batteries.

Of course, some batteries end up in the trash and recycling because there's no better place to take them. In many parts of the country, a Best Buy or Walmart that will accept used electronics is the best option residents may have. Otherwise, the best options are to find a suitable facility, store them until your local politician has a hazardous waste event, or simply store them indefinitely (where at least they will slowly lose charge). p>

Scientists have proposed solutions to make lithium-ion batteries less prone to fire. Stanford University researchers suggested in 2017 using built-in flame retardants as an anode/cathode separator, which would release when things got hot. Powdered silica in the electrolyte mixture ...