MRC Pontiac staff are reminding the public of the proper storage and disposal of batteries to prevent fires and keep the harmful waste out of the regular garbage and recycling streams.
MRC environmental coordinator for waste, Nina Digioacchino, said that the idea was inspired in part by a fire that occurred on L’Isle-aux-Allumettes in June, where a blue bin was destroyed by a battery fire.
Pontiac Ouest fire chief Glynn Fleury said that luckily the bin wasn’t in a garage or near a building when it ignited.
“By the time we got there it was all destroyed, but we found evidence of batteries being disposed of improperly,” he said.
According to Recyc-Québec’s website, lithium-ion batteries are one of the main causes of fires in sorting centres in recent years, as they can catch fire or explode when subjected to friction or compaction.
Fleury said that while it’s not a commonly recurring issue in the territory his department covers, he hopes residents take it as a warning that batteries need to be thrown away properly.
“It only happened once. [We] don’t want it to happen all the time,” he said. “Blue bins are stored next to structures before they’re put out by the road, it could create a structure fire too. [ . . . ] Dispose of them properly through your local transfer site, they take all kinds of batteries and dispose of them correctly.”
Digioacchino said that when storing old batteries at home it’s also important to tape over the terminals to prevent them from coming into contact with anything, and store them in a non-metallic container or bag, as opposed to an old coffee tin.
“A dead battery is not a safe battery, there’s still potentially charge left over,” she said.
An infographic distributed by the MRC’s fire protection warns that batteries shouldn’t be left to charge on a bed, couch or under a pillow. It also warns to stop using a battery immediately if it swells, changes colour or becomes damaged.
Digioacchino said that there are currently boxes for safe battery disposal at local transfer sites and she’s also distributed some to municipal offices and libraries as well, which can take batteries up to the size commonly used in drills and hand power-tools.
“It didn’t used to be problematic, they were only in watches but now they’re everywhere,” she said.
She pointed out that there’s a provincial website called Ça va où? (It goes where?) which offers waste disposal and recycling tips for all kinds of materials, and has maps for where local drop-off points are as well.
