Staff at the SWAMP landfill say small fires sparked by discarded batteries are becoming a fairly routine, but preventable part of their workday.
“[The] high kind of energy batteries from your garage door openers, your phones, any of these devices that kind of take a lot of power and can be rechargeable,” said Francis Fehr, General Manager at SWAMP, “These are items that can cause us grief over here or cause fires.”
Fehr explained that these incidents, while typically contained quickly, are not rare. “From spring till now… we will have seen probably four or five,” he said. “Generally, we catch them very quickly… You just snuff them right away and drop a bucket and some dirt on them.”
These fires, Fehr says, usually start when tracked landfill equipment crushes small batteries hidden in garbage. “That metal track will actually rub on these little nickel… calcium batteries, and that causes them to… make a little explosion,” he said. “And that’s what causes the fire.”
According to Fehr, dry conditions can turn these sparks into something more serious, and he would rather not see the landfill get to that point.
An environmental hazard
The fire risk is just one concern. Brenda Fehr from City of Winkler Public Works says batteries that end up in the landfill can also harm soil and water quality over time.
“Recycling of batteries is very important,” she said. “If not disposed of properly, the toxins found in batteries can be released into the environment and pose a serious risk to our health and the environment as they corrode and decay.”
“These toxins can leak into the soil, which can lead to contamination of water supply. Improper storage or disposal of batteries can also lead to fires caused by sparks when they come into contact with metal or other batteries,” she said.
Recycling also helps reduce the need for new raw materials. “The cathode structure of a battery can be repurposed,” Brenda added, “so recycling helps cut down on manufacturing.”
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Proper disposal
Brenda Fehr shared that the battery disposal site in Winkler can be found at 345 1st Street, with more information on the recycling process on the Recycle Your Batteries Canada website.
Francis Fehr says that SWAMP stores batteries on-site until there are enough for them to make a trip. “We kind of keep it in the container, and then we pass it off to them. And they take it from there for us,” he said.
Fehr said he'd like to see more people using these services, and simply knowing the risks can go a long way.