Cell Phones Thrown in the Trash Are Exploding, Causing Fires in Garbage Trucks

Megalith

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Waste management, recyclers, and electronics manufacturers are reminding consumers that it is a bad idea to throw out devices that contain lithium-ion batteries. California was compelled to start an awareness campaign after numerous fires at waste facilities, while incidents in New York ranged from batteries blowing up in garbage trucks to five-alarm fires that resulted in railroads being shut down.

Last year, 65% of waste facilities fires in California began with lithium-ion batteries. And when one goes, others can, too. “If there are multiple batteries there, you will have not just a fire, you will have explosions,” said Carl Smith, CEO and president of Call2Recycle, a national recycling program funded by battery manufacturers.
 
An explosion? I mean I know those trucks aren't air tight considering you can smell one from 50 feet, presumably when they compress the garbage they create the explosive scenario ?
 
"A less optimal but possible solution is to wrap either electrical or duct tape around the battery to cover the terminal, so that it can’t make contact with metal and therefore close the circuit, said Smith."
 
We need to get new batteries that aren't so reactive

What about... not throwing batteries in garbage ? I never understood why people throws everything in there... (light bulb, batteries, paper, meat...)
Anyway, I didn't meant to be aggressive to you, venting a little ;)
 
"A less optimal but possible solution is to wrap either electrical or duct tape around the battery to cover the terminal, so that it can’t make contact with metal and therefore close the circuit, said Smith."
No. No no no. No.

It doesn't matter how insulated the battery's terminals are when the garbage truck's compactor or the weight of other garbage crushes or punctures the battery. You're still going to end up with a raging garbage fire, chock full of cancer fumes.

Just recycle them properly. Check your local electronics stores, home improvement stores, and specialty battery stores; they'll have signs and receptacles somewhere up front.

We need to get new batteries that aren't so reactive
You can only pack energy so densely before it starts getting frisky. More energy storage requires more reactive chemistries. There's no getting away from it.
 
This sort of thing happened a few blocks from my house last year. Crazy seeing a full garage truck engulfed in flames.
 
Really? They expect people to be sensible? To not throw electronics into the trash? LOL.

People can barely use a trash can! The streets and sidewalks are FULL of trash and there are signs everywhere that say, "Do not Litter" and "Dispose of trash properly".
 
This is a true story - I am not kidding...

Years ago I was living in my girlfriend's apartment when she got a notice to change the batteries in her fire alarm. And she did, because she was dutiful that way, but she threw the old 9-volt battery in the trash, because she wasn't bright that way, and in the evening while we were watching television the trash can in the kitchen started to smoke. No fire, but I'm thankful we weren't sleeping.

So a few days later I'm on the crapper doing my morning constitutional. In front of me is the bathroom sink, and beneath the bathroom sink is the little bathroom trash can, and while I'm sitting there I see faint wisps of smoke coming up from the trash can. I immediately jumped off the john, grabbed the trash can, dumped it into the bathtub and turned on the water, scraping through the garbage trying to find the fucking battery because of course she would have had to change more than one fire alarm, and she really wasn't bright that way ... but I didn't find it. It wasn't there.

Eventually I gave up looking for it. I returned the soggy mess to the trash can and returned myself to the john, and while finishing the first business of the day I discovered that there is a big, clear bottle of alcohol-free mouthwash sitting on the sink, and the faint reflection off the bottle of me wrapping toilet paper around my hand looked a lot like little wisps of smoke.


P.S. My girlfriend wanted to know why all the trash in the bathroom trash can was wet, so we played, "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Wet Trash" for about a week. She never figured it out, 'cause she really wasn't bright that way.
 
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You got to be special kind of ret... mentally alternative gifted to thorw out batteris in trash


PEopel today
Trashh.. .hmmm on the sidewalk is fine not the specialy made trashcan for the purpose
Batteries.... hmm Trash Can not the specific places for it

What next? Road woekers going: "hhm lets put the dirt in the battery shops" and not place for it ?
 
What's the big issue? If the garbage is going to an incinerator, why wait, do it in route to the dump? :p

What about... not throwing batteries in garbage ? I never understood why people throws everything in there... (light bulb, batteries, paper, meat...)
Anyway, I didn't meant to be aggressive to you, venting a little ;)

Well because most people are lazy, or some places like apartments might only have trash pickup.
 
Why do people do this? Because it's easier than driving to the landfill/recycling center to dispose of them properly. The real solution would be if trash companies would have a way to pick them up, maybe have a special colored bag that they distribute to people that they put Li-ion batteries in for disposal. The fact is, until they make it easier to dispose of them, people will continue to do this and fires will continue to cost the companies tons on money.
 
What about... not throwing batteries in garbage ? I never understood why people throws everything in there... (light bulb, batteries, paper, meat...)
Multiple reasons, firstly they grew up that way, either their old or they come from an area where they only have a garbage service. Now I'll be the first to say "I'm old" a child of the 80s, and yeah there was garbage and that was it. It really wasn't until the past 25 or so years that there there was actually push to separate things, and then it was aluminum cans and other CRV recyclable materials (i.e. the garbage company wanted easy money they didn't give a shit about separation of stuff) and newspaper. In San Francisco it's probably been only about 10 or so years that they'll allow food waste in the "yard waste" bin, and most other cities around the area might have yard waste bins, but they don't go full food waste.

Bottom line if the city doesn't provide a service for it, then don't expect people to do it. You want me to bag up batteries, and then when I go to a store hopefully I remember to bring them? Yeah that kind of thought process for other things.

And then there are the stubborn people, who have the mentality of "it's not my job to do that" or "I've seen them throw recylcing and garbage into the same can and throw it away, why should I care about separating" or whatever excuse... all "stubborn"
 
Most people have no idea batteries aren't supposed to go in the trash. My parents had no idea how flammable lithium batteries were until I showed them videos of them being punctured.
 
That stuffs insides are worth money. If I'm not making any then you gonna have to dumpster dive lol
 
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