Capital Region Service Commission’s Solid Waste Division (SWD) is urging its customers not to place batteries in their black garbage bags or blue and grey recycle boxes.

‘Batteries are becoming one of our most dangerous items to deal with and we’re encouraging our customers to think twice before placing them in debris or recycle boxes,’ said SWD general manager, Brett McCrea. ‘The lithium batteries are dangerous and have caused fires and a serious injury to one of our employees. We urge the public to properly dispose of batteries of any type.’

SWD accepts lithium,  AA, AAA, vehicle batteries and much more battery types at its on-site Household Hazardous Waste depot at 1775 Alison Blvd. The no charge service is open Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

‘We have had a number of small fires on a regular basis in our landfill, but an exploding battery caused employee injury, so we need to sit back and reflect on the dangers that exist,’ said McCrea. ‘It’s too easy to place a battery of any type in a garbage bag or place it in a cracker carton and place it in a recycle box. It may be gone from your residence or business, but our collectors and SWD staff are dealing with it on our end. We are incredibly fortunate our employee wasn’t injured more than he was.’

For further information on proper disposal of batteries, contact recycle@capitalrsc.ca