![]() “You’re storing energy within these chemical bonds and chemical reactions, and so until all of those reactions have happened, there’s still energy and potential for energy to be released. When lithium-ion batteries catch fire, they emit toxic smoke and even after the fire has been extinguished, damaged batteries can reignite. “Everybody is using a different type of battery, there is so little interchangeability in these batteries.” Recycle the Right Way “The number of different battery sizes and types which are in the market needs to be regulated,” said Nikhil Gupta, a professor at NYU-Tandon School of Engineering. A recent fire caused by lithium-ion batteries in Bushwick that critically injured a woman was the city’s 24th this year. ![]() ![]() Lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes, scooters and other devices caused 219 fires, with 147 injuries and six deaths, Kavanagh said in her letter. It’s illegal to throw such batteries into the garbage or recycling, and doing so has resulted in fires at sanitation facilities, including waste transfer stations, recycling centers and in trucks.įire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh last Friday wrote to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, asking it to regulate lithium-ion batteries, including stopping uncertified batteries from entering the country and calling on manufacturers to make sure e-mobility devices only work with approved batteries. Over the past two years, the number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries has more than quadrupled and batteries powering e-bikes and e-scooters have caused the vast majority of those incidents, according to FDNY.Īside from e-bikes, lithium-ion batteries are also found in everyday electronics like cell phones, laptops, toys and vacuums - even greeting cards. In the event FDNY wants to save them for evidence, DSNY will store them. Under a new protocol, DEP will now dispose of abandoned or fire-damaged lithium-ion batteries. Members and sponsors make THE CITY possible. Previously, Gragnani said, DSNY had contracted with a vendor to remove the batteries but that vendor was not able to do the work at the end of last year because necessary equipment wasn’t available due to supply chain constraints. “With additional damaged, defective or recalled lithium-ion batteries coming in every week, the Department of Environmental Protection - the agency responsible for disposal of this material - issued this emergency procurement to have these batteries removed and protect the safety of all New Yorkers,” said DSNY spokesperson Vincent Gragnani. They must be individually boxed in a container with fire-suppressant materials. Action Trucking did not respond to requests for comment.įederal guidelines impose clear procedures for transporting hazardous materials like batteries, which are stricter if the batteries are damaged. Under an emergency procurement order, a company called Action Trucking removed the batteries at the Gravesend facility between November 30 and December 2, according to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). But with a record 219 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and other devices, the facility reached capacity, according to a recent issue of the City Record, which said the Gravesend site “is not suitable for the storage of this hazardous material.” ![]() Through most of last year, city workers packed lithium-ion batteries removed from fires into 159 containers at a DSNY storage facility in Gravesend, Brooklyn. ![]() Lithium-ion batteries caused so many fires last year that the Sanitation Department ran out of room to store the hazardous residue, THE CITY has learned. ![]()
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