Columbus, Ohio--We all probably have a handful of batteries laying around the house and some of them could probably be thrown away.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) said you should never throw any batteries in the trash or recycling bin. This includes your household alkaline batteries, car batteries, power tool batteries, cellphone, computer, etc.
"It can pose a danger," said Hanna Greer-Brown, Communications Manager at SWACO.
"They can catch fire and set the back of the trucks on fire and start fires at the recycling facilities, so you definitely want to make sure you are properly disposing of those."
Fortunately, SWACO provides Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) disposal services for all Franklin County residents.
SWACO's vendor, Environmental Enterprises Inc., (EEI) operates a HHW Center located at:
1253 Essex Ave, Columbus, OH.
EEI Operating hours:
Weekly Hours (Closed Holidays)
Wednesdays: 12pm-6pm
Thursdays: 9am-5pm
Fridays: 12pm-6pm
When dropping off your batteries (new and used) make sure your they are stored in a storage case with a small piece of tape placed over the terminals to ensure that they won't make contact with other batteries and cause a fire.
Stephen Frohm, Manager at EEI said that you can recycle a lot more than just batteries at EEI.
"Cleaners, aerosols, makeup, nail polish, basically any kind of chemical you have laying around your house," said Frohm. Batteries are also accepted free of charge for Franklin County residents.
Other accepted items at EEI:
-Flammables
-Gasoline mixed with oil
-Oil based paints
-Old gasoline
-Spray paint
-Latex & Water-Based Paint(For a small fee)
-Fats, Oils & Greases
-Corrosives
-Reactives
-Toxics
For more information on accepted and unaccepted items at EEI, go to their website for more details.
SWACO also partners with local communities to offer several mobile collection events each year. For more information go to their website.
SWACO and TCL are also hosting a free electronics recycling event Saturday, November 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Ohio History Center on 800 E. 17th Ave. Columbus, OH.
ITEMS ACCEPTED: Televisions (CRT, Flat Screen, Projection), Computers (Desktop, Laptops, All-in-One), Printers, Keyboards and Mice.
ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED: Air conditioners, refrigerators, large appliances, humidifiers, smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, pressurized canisters, oil or gas devices, fluorescent bulbs, neon signs, car batteries, small button batteries or household batteries.
You must register before dropping off your items and can do so by making an appointment on their website.
