BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Josh Siegel’s biggest fear is that a resident of one of the Lehigh Valley’s major cities will throw a battery in the trash.
After that trash gets picked up from the curb by sanitation workers, Siegel said, the battery ends up in a garbage truck, where it could burst into flames.
“And now that garbage truck is on fire in the middle of a densely-packed, crowded street, and all of a sudden cars are on fire, houses on fire,” said state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh.
“I’m trying to prevent the loss of life and the loss of property and basically make sure that we are being as proactive as possible and making sure that we don't have those incidents here in the Lehigh Valley.”
Siegel last month introduced legislation that could help put his fear to rest. His bill, HB 2241, would put the onus on manufacturers to provide safe recycling options for lithium-ion batteries, as well as launch an education campaign to teach residents how to dispose of used batteries properly.
Inspired by battery fires both here in the Valley and across the commonwealth, some fatal, environmentalists are championing the effort.
We can’t afford to keep throwing out the batteries that power our clean energy future, especially when that means sending them to landfills where they pose a toxic threat to our wildlife and our health.Faran Savitz, a zero-waste advocate with PennEnvironment
Many of the electronics residents use in daily life rely on rechargeable batteries that need critical minerals which are finite, said Faran Savitz, a zero-waste advocate with PennEnvironment.
“When we buy electronics, we should expect them to last, but far too often what we buy is disposable and has us stuck in a loop of buy, use, toss and buy again,” Savitz said. “We can’t afford to keep throwing out the batteries that power our clean energy future, especially when that means sending them to landfills where they pose a toxic threat to our wildlife and our health.
“HB 2241 can be a positive step and would help make the producers of this waste responsible for dealing with it instead of burdening Pennsylvanians.”
‘Just deadly’
Incidents of battery fires across the U.S., especially at recycling or waste facilities, have sharply increased in the past decade.
“Both the number of facilities affected and number of fires have increased dramatically in recent years, growing from only two fires being reported at a single facility in 2013 to 65 fires reported across 16 different facilities in 2020,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2021 report, “An Analysis of Lithium-ion Battery Fires in Waste Management and Recycling.”
Between 2013 and 2020, there were more than 240 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.
The bill was inspired by a recent battery fire at a Penn Waste recycling facility in York, Pa., Siegel said.
“That cost over $30 million in damages — burnt the whole recycling center down,” he said. “It was terrifying. There were 40 employees inside when the building caught fire. One of the firefighters that responded fortunately survived but he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.”
More than a dozen local fire departments responded to the center for the March 2022 fire, according to local reports. Officials later determined that the fire was likely caused by a rechargeable battery.
“That situation, you could imagine in a different world, could turn out to be just deadly,” Siegel said. “Thankfully, emergency personnel showed up fast and were able to get everyone evacuated and get the fire calmed down.
“But, you could imagine, in a different, another scenario, dozens of people could lose their lives in a recycling plant because a single battery sets off an entire blaze.”
And, the Valley has already seen the devastating effects of battery fires.
In early April 2022, 10-year-old Abigail Kaufman and her 15-year-old sister, Brianna Baer, died in a fire in Hellertown. The borough’s fire marshal determined a hoverboard was the point of origin.
The manufacturer a year later recalled the hoverboards due to the risk of fires.
“That wasn't related to the battery being improperly disposed of, but it does show just how devastating and dangerous these fires can be,” Siegel said. “Because lithium-ion battery fires are really hot — they burn in excess of 1,000 degrees.
“It's extremely difficult for firefighters to put them out. If they're in a structure, they consume the structure much faster than like a normal house fire. It is a very powerful, basically little tinder that just explodes.”
"These batteries are going to continue to just infiltrate different parts of our existence, and that means they're going to be more prolific in our system and in our society."State Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh Valley
The Valley is “very fortunate,” Siegel said, to not have more incidents to cite.
“Really, the bill is about being preventative and proactive because, the reality is, that lithium-ion batteries are in so many of the modern devices that make our lives convenient — electric toothbrushes, e-scooters — and the reality is, those are going to become more prominent in our lives and our society,” he said. “So, these batteries are going to continue to just infiltrate different parts of our existence, and that means they're going to be more prolific in our system and in our society.
“We really want to get ahead of it as a state and as a region in terms of making sure that we don't have those instances.”
‘Catastrophic consequences’
The bill has two distinct parts, Siegel said.
“The first part of the bill would require anyone that sells or manufactures batteries in Pennsylvania to create stewardship programs that would allow for the collection and disposal of really all batteries, but in particular lithium-ion,” he said. “And then, the second component, is really a public awareness campaign to better inform consumers about the dangers of throwing their lithium-ion batteries into our traditional system of solid waste and recycling disposal.
“It can have catastrophic consequences not just for the environment, but also for the safety and well being of folks that work in recycling centers.”
Officials at the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association said the bill “takes a responsible, common-sense approach to public safety and environmental stewardship.”
“Pennsylvania’s waste and recycling industry is working hard to avoid fires by spotting and removing batteries that end up in the waste stream and on collection trucks, along with collaborating closely with first responders to fight fires more effectively when they do start,” officials said in a statement. “But these efforts can’t combat the growing epidemic of fires aggravated by the fact that Pennsylvania doesn’t have a process in place to manage the safe disposition of these batteries.”
The Rechargeable Battery Association has also signaled its support.
“It would establish in Pennsylvania a mandatory portable battery collection and recycling program funded by battery and product manufacturers,” said George Kerchner, executive director. “The bill is aligned with similar legislation currently being considered by five other states and adopted into law by three states over the past three years. We look forward to working with Rep. Siegel and other Pennsylvania legislators on this important environmental protection and safety legislation.”
Other states, including California, Vermont and Illinois, have passed similar laws. And, having laws on the books may be the only way to see positive momentum grow in lieu of more sustainable products.
“Legislation that can help move us away from a throwaway society to a circular one is good for the environment, good for our health and good for consumers,” Savitz said. “We need to reuse and recycle batteries to recover as much of these critical minerals as possible, and reduce the waste that comes from disposable electronics.
“Increasing the recovery and recycling of batteries is much better than throwing them in the trash, but ultimately, the best option is designing our electronics to last."
The bill on April 29 was referred to the state House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and is awaiting a vote.
Siegel is confident the bill will have overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle.
“I think a strong bipartisan majority will vote for it,” he said. “With no real opposition, I think it stands a really strong chance of becoming state law.”
