From vape pens to AirPods and toys, so many of the electronic products we use today are powered with lithium batteries, and when they are not disposed of properly, they can be a fire danger.
A 2021 report from the EPA found more than 200 fires reported at waste facilities across the country have been associated with lithium-ion batteries. The report notes the number of facilities affected is “likely much higher” because these fires are “severely underreported.”
Dawn McCormick of Waste Management, a company that handles residential trash and recycling pickup for many communities in Florida, says they are seeing an uptick in fires across the state.
“About one fire a week here in Florida in our trucks and also about one fire a week in our recycling facilities,” McCormick said.
McCormick says products with lithium-ion batteries are to blame in many cases.
During our visit to the Reuters recycling …