The City of Logan is trying something new this weekend: a battery and vape disposal event aimed at keeping potentially hazardous materials out of the trash.
Emily Malik manages Logan City's Environmental Center. She said many people don't give much thought to where rechargeable batteries end up after they're thrown away.
“I feel like they're in everything," she said, "so you've got your phones, your electronics, your computers, e-cigarettes and vapes attached to nicotine — it's just so much more prevalent, and they are kind of dangerous in the landfill.”
Malik said waste crews have noticed more battery-related fires in trucks, transfer stations, and landfills. The city recently dealt with a dumpster fire linked to a discarded lithium battery.
“You can tell it was a really hot fire," she said. "I learned that they filled the dumpster with water, and it still was burning. They can self ignite.”
That's why city officials decided to launch the county’s first battery disposal event.
“We thought, well, let's try this," Malik said, "and if people think it's more convenient to do a drop event, maybe we'll do a couple more.”
Malik said she hopes the event helps people think twice about tossing a lithium battery into their trashcans.
“There's 125,000 residents that live in our county," she explained. "If everyone was just putting one battery in their garbage every day — that's 125,000 batteries.”
And disposing them safely is a labor-intensive process.
Malik says the batteries are individually bagged, packed in fire-suppressing material, and shipped to a hazardous waste company for processing.
Residents can drop off their used batteries on Saturday, June 20 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Bear River Health Department. The event is free and open to all Cache County residents.
Those who miss Saturday's drop-off event can still dispose of batteries year-round through Logan City's Household Hazardous Waste program.
