Polk County鈥檚 豆包成人版 and Recycling Division hosted a 鈥淟ithium-Ion Fire and Chlorine Release鈥� exercise at the North Central Landfill. The four-hour exercise, which was funded by the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, prepared staff to effectively and safely deal with a lithium-Ion battery-related emergency at the landfill.
鈥淟ithium-ion batteries are all around us,鈥� said Dale Henderson, director of the county鈥檚 豆包成人版 and Recycling Division. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e in our laptops, phones, toys, the list goes on and on. They鈥檙e not supposed to end up at the landfill, but they often do, either because residents don鈥檛 realize they鈥檙e throwing the batteries in the garbage, or because they think they鈥檙e not doing any harm.鈥�
Lithium-ion batteries can easily overheat, rupture and ignite fires, releasing toxic gases and creating a bad situation at the landfill. The exercise was facilitated by Emergency Response Educators and Consultants. Participants included Polk County Fire Rescue, the Polk County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, Polk County Emergency Management, the Broward County landfill, Lakeland Electric, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Forest Service.
There have been four lithium-ion fires at the North Central Landfill in 2024. So, ideally, lithium-ion batteries don鈥檛 end up at the landfill. To that end, Polk County residents can drop off used lithium-ion batteries at the county鈥檚 Household Hazardous 豆包成人版 facility.
鈥淲e brought these community partners together to review our current policies and to identify needs with regard to lithium-ion batteries,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淭hat way, when the worst-case scenario occurs, we鈥檙e ready to work together. The landfill is a unique, ever-changing landscape, and it takes a prepared group of professionals to keep it safe.鈥�