Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub has equipped local fire departments as community collection points for lithium batteries throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The program, which began in 2023, is partially funded by Rumpke Waste & Recycling in an effort to make it easier for residents to properly and safely dispose of lithium batteries.
“Lithium batteries are becoming more prevalent,” said Jeff Snyder, senior vice president of recycling, at Rumpke. 鈥淎nd when these batteries reach the end of their life, people don鈥檛 know what to do with them, so they toss them into their trash or recycling container, which leads to fires in our trucks and our facilities.鈥�
Covington Fire Stations, Company 1, located at 100 East Robbins, and Company 5, located at 1255 Hands Pike, joined the 10 Ohio and 3 Kentucky fire stations already participating in this important effort to provide access to proper and safe disposal. Brittany Gray and David Doepke with the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub provided onsite training for the firefighters and provided all program supplies.
鈥淭he Covington Fire Department is proud to partner with the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub to help our community safely dispose of lithium batteries,” said Patrick Averbeck, Deputy Chief.聽“As the use of lithium batteries continues to grow, it’s important to remember that these batteries have a limited lifespan and should never be thrown out with regular household trash due to the risk of fire and environmental harm. Through this partnership, we鈥檙e providing residents with a safe and responsible way to discard old or damaged lithium batteries.鈥�