Battery Safety Tips and Proper Disposal
This Monday, EDCO responded to another load fire incident potentially caused by a discarded battery in a trash truck. Load fires have increased in our area, with two documented cases in Solana Beach over the past month.
Please remember to properly dispose of your old or used batteries for the health and safety of our community, waste management workers, and staff. This includes battery-embedded products and e-waste such as: E-Bikes, cell phones, wireless ear buds, computer accessories, smart watches, kitchen devices, electric shaver, electronic nicotine devices, and any other products that contain a battery inside.
Proper disposal methods of your old or used batteries, household hazardous waste (HHW), and e-waste include:
1. Drop batteries off at the battery recycling bin located inside Solana Beach City Hall. The City Hall recycle bin accepts both regular (acid) batteries and rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries.
2. Drop items off at one of these HHW Facilities open every Saturday (except holiday weekends) from 9:00am to 3:00pm:
- The Vista facility is located at 1145 East Taylor Street at Laguna Lane.
- The Poway facility is located in the South Poway Business Park at 12325 Crosthwaite Circle at Stowe Drive.
3. Schedule a HHW pickup by calling 800-714-1195. There is a $10.00 co-payment for the HHW pick-up service. There is no charge to qualifying homebound or senior residents (age 65 and over).
Learn more about proper HHW disposal on the City's webpage here, and about lithium-ion batteries in EDCO's video here.
Lithium-ion batteries can overheat and start a fire anywhere, even before they are disposed of. Make sure to look for warning signs when devices overheat, charge large tools outside (including e-bikes and e-scooters), and unplug devices once they are fully charged. Check out these battery safety tip sheets to learn more about everyday charging habits to prevent lithium-ion fires and keep the community safe: