WEST BOISE, Idaho — If you have some rechargeable batteries you need to get rid of, don't throw them in the trash — they cause big problems for the folks at Republic Services and Boise Fire when they burst into flames.
“We’ve had four to six truck fires in the last year. We’ve had a couple total losses, and every time there’s a risk to the community," said Rachele Klein with Republic Services.
Klein explained that if lithium-ion batteries end up in your trash, they can be dangerous for workers in garbage trucks and even at the landfill.
WATCH: See what it looks like when a lithium-ion battery explodes
“When a garbage truck is compressing the garbage, if there’s a lithium-ion battery in it and it gets destroyed, this is exactly what you would see inside the garbage can," said Roy Mitchell, Boise Fire Division Chief of Special Operations.
Boise Fire held a demonstration Tuesday to show just how reactive rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be when damaged.
“It doesn’t take a long time from the moment it gets damaged to the point where it goes into thermal runaway," said Mitchell.
Regular alkaline batteries like 9-volts or AAs are okay to throw in the trash, as long as they’re not rechargeable, but batteries commonly found in things like vapes, power tools and large electronics can cause big problems.
“So I want you to keep in mind that’s one cell — a typical scooter could have 30 or 40, and The Bike could have 30 or 40, and an EV could have as many as 7000," added Mitchell.
The right way to get rid of rechargeable batteries is to drop them off at a hazardous household waste site or the Ada County Landfill.
You can find information on drop-off locations here.
