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Lithium-ion batteries a growing fire hazard in NYC garbage trucks, DSNY says
By
Sophia Chang
Published Apr 30, 2023
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FDNY
By
Sophia Chang
Published Apr 30, 2023
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Fires inside New York City garbage trucks caused by lithium-ion batteries are rising at an alarming rate, prompting sanitation officials to issue repeated public warnings against tossing the devices in household trash.
Sanitation department spokesperson Joshua Goodman said 18 fires on city collection trucks over the last year were “likely related” to the batteries — a threefold increase from the year before.
The batteries are supposed to be disposed alongside other hazardous materials, and city officials urge New Yorkers to get rid of them at disposal sites or at sanitation outreach events.
While no injuries have been reported from the truck fires, city officials say they are concerned about the dangers to sanitation employees as these batteries proliferate in the small electronic devices and e-bikes that are widely used by the city’s food delivery workers.
“This is certainly a growing challenge that we as an industry are facing,” said Gregory Anderson, the sanitation department's deputy commissioner for policy and strategic initiatives, during an April 19 City Council hearing.
On April 15 in the Bronx, FDNY units responded to a fire that had erupted inside a sanitation truck near Grand Avenue and North Street in University Heights.
The Norwood News reported that witnesses saw the flames and alerted the truck crew, who had to dump the burning garbage onto the street in a video provided by a resident. An FDNY spokesperson said an unspecified lithium-ion battery was recovered from the garbage and handled by a hazmat team.
“It is against the law to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in your trash or regular recycling, and these fires are clear evidence that doing so endangers the lives of our sanitation workers,” Goodman said.
An FDNY spokesperson said the department doesn’t track data on the number of lithium-ion battery fires that break out in city-owned vehicles.
But the devices are a growing cause for concern. A fire sparked by an e-bike battery in Astoria earlier this month killed a 7-year-old and a 19-year-old. The FDNY reports there have been more than 400 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the city over the last four years.
City Councilmember Sandy Nurse has introduced a bill to require the sanitation department to develop a plan for educating New Yorkers about the proper disposal of these batteries, including holding regular disposal events.
The city has a dedicated hazardous waste disposal site in each borough — but the hours of operation for these sites are limited.
Nurse pointed out that many people who know the dangers of lithium-ion batteries are trying to get them out of their own households.
“The idea of storing them in your house is also very dangerous,” said Nurse. “So they're just trying to get it out of their house. And without more access points to drop stuff off, they’re just throwing it in the trash, because it's out of their house and it's out of sight, out of mind.”
Harry Nespoli, the president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, said the battery fires are the latest danger that sanitation employees face because the public doesn’t know what to do with hazardous waste.
“They just think putting it in the garbage, it disappears,” Nespoli said.
Tagged
new york city
sanitation
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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