Firefighters work alongside landfill staff to contain a fire at the Chautauqua County Landfill in Ellery on November 3, 2024. Image by Chautauqua County Emergency Services
Residents are being urged to properly dispose of rechargeable batteries in order to prevent fire.
Chautauqua County’s landfill managers said a recent fire at the county landfill in Ellery highlights the critical need for safe battery recycling to protect public safety.
Landfill Manager and Deputy Director of Public Facilities Aaron Gustafson said, “Rechargeable batteries, especially Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs), can cause fires in waste facilities if they’re thrown out with regular trash. Our landfill team has been working hard to keep these fires contained, but we need the public’s help to make sure batteries are disposed of safely to avoid putting lives at risk. This issue extends beyond waste management—many residential fires in Chautauqua County have also been caused by rechargeable batteries, underscoring the importance of proper use, storage, and disposal in homes to ensure safety.”
Rechargeable batteries, particularly Lithium-Ion Batteries found in many household devices, should never be disposed of with regular trash. Instead, residents are encouraged to bring used rechargeable batteries to designated drop-off locations.
To ensure batteries are handled safely, New York State law (Environmental Conservation Chapter 43-B, Article 27, Title 18) mandates that retailers who sell rechargeable batteries offer collection services for used ones. Battery manufacturers are also required to cover the cost of recycling collected rechargeable batteries.
For more information on the law, visit: nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ENV/27-1807
To safely dispose of rechargeable batteries, Chautauqua County residents can drop them off at the following locations:
– Dunkirk Area: Add Lumber (also accepts cell phones), Harbor Freight, Home Depot, uBreakiFix (also accepts cell phones), Walmart (also accepts cell phones)
– Jamestown Area: Home Depot, Walmart (also accepts cell phones), Wegmans (also accepts cell phones)
To find more drop-off locations, visit: call2recycle.org/Locator.
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