Firefighters work alongside landfill staff to contain a fire at the Chautauqua County Landfill in Ellery on November 3, 2024. Submitted photo

Chautauqua County’s landfill managers are asking county residents to help prevent fires by properly disposing of rechargeable batteries.

A recent fire at the county landfill in Ellery was contained by firefighters and landfill staff.

“Rechargeable batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, can cause fires in waste facilities if they’re thrown out with regular trash,” said Aaron Gustafson, Landfill Manager and Deputy Director of Public Facilities. “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.”

Such fires, often sparked by improperly discarded rechargeable batteries, pose a threat to waste facility employees, the environment and general public safety. Gustafson emphasized the importance of preventing battery-related fires to maintain essential waste management services.

“We’re seeing the effects firsthand — fires at waste facilities are becoming more common, causing delays, raising costs, and straining our community resources,” Gustafson said.

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, 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.

“By making the effort to recycle batteries properly, we can protect our landfill, our workers, and our community,” said Gustafson. “This isn’t just about the landfill–it’s about keeping our entire community safe.”

In addition to the landfill, safe battery disposal is also essential at all county transfer stations, which transfer waste to the landfill and face similar fire risks from improperly discarded batteries.

Batteries should not be placed in regular trash at these locations: North County Transfer Station in Fredonia, South County Transfer Station in Falconer, West County Transfer Station in Sherman, and Ellery Transfer Station in Jamestown.