Keep lithium batteries and devices containing lithium batteries out of your trash and recycling carts.
Last month a Carrboro refuse truck caught fire after a lithium-ion battery was placed in the trash. Luckily, Durham Fire Department Engine 13, C Shift, was directly behind the truck. When the driver pulled over and stopped, the crew was right there to quickly extinguish the fire.
They were fortunate that help was so close —but lithium-ion battery fires can happen without warning and pose a danger to collection crews, the public and waste facilities.
Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in cell phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, power tools, e-bikes, e-cigarettes, vaping devices and other rechargeable devices.
Never place lithium-ion batteries or devices containing them in your trash or recycling cart. Take them to a designated battery drop-off location.
Proper disposal helps prevent fires and allows valuable materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt to be recovered and reused. Beginning Dec. 1, 2026, lithium-ion batteries will be banned from landfill disposal in North Carolina under G.S. 130A-309.10.
Find a safe drop-off location:
- The Battery Network, Find a Retail Drop-off Location.
- Orange County Solid Waste, Solid Waste Management Dept. on Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill.