Be Battery Smart

Often overlooked, batteries can be a hidden household hazard.

If improperly installed, charged, stored, used, damaged, or disposed of, lithium-ion batteries can catch fire or explode, putting your family and others at risk. If swallowed, button or coin batteries can cause injuries and death.

Take advantage of battery recycling opportunities – particularly for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are used in rechargeable devices such as: Plugging in a smartphone to charge

Cellphones
Laptops
Wireless Bluetooth devices
Power tools
Electric toothbrushes

Tips to Take Charge!

Here are four essentials that you should know to keep yourself, your family and pets, and your home safe, as well as protect other people, property, and the environment.

Lithium-ion batteries, for example, are easy to puncture and can cause fires in homes, waste collection trucks, and solid waste facilities – putting those workers as well as firefighters at risk. A 2021 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that, between 2013 and 2020, at least 245 fires at 64 solid waste facilities were caused or likely caused by lithium-metal or lithium-ion batteries.

Commonly found in products including toys, these batteries pose deadly risks to children, the elderly, and pets. If swallowed or placed in the nose or ears, they can cause serious injury or death. A recent study showed that a child 18 or under visited an emergency room every 75 minutes with a battery-related injury. Button batteries accounted for an estimated 85 percent of these cases. Learn about battery safety at home.

South Carolina residents have several options with more recycling infrastructure on the way. Learn more about battery recycling in your area.

Become familiar with the difference between lithium-ion batteries and others. To learn the difference, use the Battery Identification Guide.

To address these issues, SCDES - in partnership with the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) - developed the "Take Charge! Be Battery Smart" outreach campaign to raise awareness of both the safety concerns and the recycling opportunities that are available and growing in number.

ReMA is a non-profit trade association that represents more than 1,600 companies in the U.S. and 40 countries around the globe. Based in Washington, D.C., ReMA promotes safe, economically sustainable, and environmentally responsible recycling through networking, advocacy, and education.

Overall, the association provides digital and print resources covering a wide range of issues, including markets and research, safety, environmental, regulatory, and legal information relevant to the industry.

Visit www.recycledmaterials.org for more information.