Starting June 10th, Portland trash haulers will collect appropriately contained batteries with curbside glass recycling. City residents with trash service at a house, duplex, triplex, or fourplex should place used batteries in a clear, sealed one-quart bag and set it on top of glass recyclables. Labeled alkaline batteries can go straight into the bag, while all others need the positive and negative terminals covered by tape to prevent fires.
Used battery collection is a significant addition to the roster of curbside collectible waste. It can potentially reduce Battery-caused fires in garbage trucks and waste-processing facilities. Those dangerous conditions have increased dramatically in recent years due to expanded battery use, costing millions of dollars in damage and putting workers’ lives in danger.
Devices containing batteries and loose power cells should never go into the trash. Local nonprofits like Free Geek and some retailers make battery-containing e-recycling possible. However, many people have needed a low-barrier way to dispose of loose batteries at home. The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s (BPS) new service provides a convenient method for residential trash collection customers. People in apartments and businesses will need to find a drop-off battery recycling option by contacting Metro’s Recycling Information Center Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 503-234-3000, or by visiting their website: www.oregonmetro.gov/askmetro.
Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account or you can pay directly online. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.
Montavilla News 