-Thank you for being here. Welcome all and thank you
for joining us on this important announcement and demonstration.
I think you're going to see as a result of the demonstration
is the importance of safety relative
to battery -- batteries in our --
and how we are using batteries at the current time.
You know, our city is, I think, by all accounts,
a leader in innovative approaches that improve lives,
and increases productivity,
and lessens our impact on the environment.
And our approach to garbage and waste management
hopefully demonstrates through our policies
and the implementation of those policies our commitment
in that regard. You may recall in 1988,
Seattle was one of the first cities in the nation
to provide curbside recycling.
And along that trajectory, in 2005,
we began curbside food waste collection.
We call upon Seattle Public Utilities
and our Fire Department to be forward thinking,
to look at the challenges and the problems around us
and come up with solutions.
To make sure our landfills aren't filled
with toxic chemicals
that harm people, and indeed, harm our planet.
The tools and devices we use every day now in 2024,
from electric cars and bikes,
to electric lawnmowers and tools,
to personal computers and tablets,
they are powered by batteries.
We are seeing devices that are battery charged now,
which is good for the planet, in unprecedented levels,
and this is actually a good thing.
They're invaluable to our lives, but we have to also acknowledge
that they have the potential to do harm.
So today, we are going to learn the answer
to a question we've probably all asked ourselves
at one point or another.
What should we do with our old batteries?
Too often, residents are confused
about what to do with the old batteries.
Many of them want to do the right thing
and they just don't have the knowledge base
to do the right thing.
So this afternoon, we are going to hear
and see a demonstration of why batteries need
to be kept out of the garbage and instead recycled.
Keeping communities and workers safe,
protecting people, and indeed, protecting our planet.
We'll share where residents can take them to be recycled.
I want to thank the Seattle Public Utilities
and our Seattle Fire Department
and say how proud I am of the work they are doing.
As their mayor, how proud I am to keep our employees,
and our residents, and our lives safe in Seattle.
And advance our city's recycling practices
and to make sure we're keeping these new products
out of our landfills.
And with that, I'd like to introduce
Seattle Public Utilities General Manager,
Andrew Lee. Take it away, Andrew.
-Thank you, Mayor Harrell, for joining us, today,
and for your unwavering support of Seattle Public Utilities
when it comes to waste innovation.
As the mayor mentioned,
batteries have the potential to do harm,
which is why we're taking steps to address this growing problem.
As of January 1, 2024, a new director's rule
is in place that prohibits batteries,
including items with embedded batteries,
and various electronics such as computers, monitors, and TVs.
From being discarded in the garbage.
This directive is a crucial step
in recognizing the hazardous nature of these chemicals
in batteries and electronics.
They can also pose a risk to human health and the environment
when if disposed of through the solid waste collection system.
Batteries, in particular, are corrosive
and prose to causing fires at our transfer stations.
We know that proper disposal, which we'll detail in a minute,
is essential to help ensure the safety of our SPU staff,
contractors, our facilities, and our communities.
I'd like to just touch a little bit
on the environmental impact of batteries.
Batteries contain mercury, lead, cadmium, lithium,
and even acid that can leak from them
when damaged through the collection and disposal process.
Alkaline batteries contain acids that corrode metals
and can damage the environment.
We are requiring these items to be handled separately to help
ensure safe handling, disposal, and recycling.
In addition to protecting workers who handle solid waste,
this also protects the environment
from hazardous chemicals
and allows recyclable materials to be reclaimed for further use.
That in turn cuts down on the need to mine for more materials.
Seattle continues to be an industry leader
when it comes to responsible waste management
and this policy aligns with our broader commitment
to minimize impacts on the environment.
I'm happy, at this point, to introduce Chief Scoggins.
-Good afternoon, everyone,
and welcome to our joint training facility.
I'm Harold Scoggins, Fire Chief of the Seattle Fire Department.
I'd like to start by thanking Mayor Harrell
for his leadership and Director Lee
for prioritizing the safety of the community
and his employees through his director's rule
to ban batteries in garbage receptacles.
While all batteries present unique fire hazards,
I'd like to talk specifically about the growing concern
around the dangers of lithium ion batteries.
As consumers purchase more and more products
that contain lithium ion batteries such as e-bikes,
e-scooters, and portable electronics,
phones, and laptops, and power tools, etc.
We are seeing an increase in fires
across the nation related to these devices.
In the last two years alone, the Seattle Fire Department
has responded to 79 fires in the city.
I'll say that, again, 79 fires in the city
caused by lithium ion batteries.
Many of these fires are a result of improperly charging, storing,
and disposing of devices containing these batteries.
One of these incidents involved a battery
crushed in the back of a garbage truck
which caused a fire while the truck was on route.
Fires involving lithium ion batteries can start
and spread quickly
and can result in significant property loss,
injuries, or worst-case scenario,
they can have deadly consequences,
as we've seen around the country.
When overheated, the batteries can explode,
leading to an aggressive fire
and one that's challenging to extinguish.
Batteries damaged by fire can also reignite
and spread rapidly to other combustible materials.
The dangers associated with lithium ion batteries
should be taken seriously.
Similar to the effort to install smoke detector
and carbon monoxide alarms,
battery fires are now the new hazard we are facing.
Now that I've illustrated how significant the consequences
can be from these fires,
I'd like to talk through key safety tips.
Only purchase and use devices
certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory
such as Underwriters Laboratory.
Use the device's original battery and charger.
Don't charge devices overnight or when you're not home.
Stop using devices if the battery shows signs
of physical damage, swelling, or becomes too hot to the touch.
Avoid charging devices near escape routes.
Keep batteries at room temperature away from heat
or direct sunlight. And as we are asking you today,
do not dispose of batteries in the trash.
Seattle Public Utilities will cover safe disposal options.
If your device begins to hiss, pop, or start on fire,
immediately leave the area.
Close the door as you leave and then call 911.
Fire extinguishers do not work on lithium ion batteries.
Don't try to extinguish them on your own.
I'll leave you with this statistic.
In the past three years, the Seattle Fire Department
has responded to eight fires at SPU's garbage
and recycling transfer stations.
While not all of these fires can be tracked back to a battery,
it is highly likely they were the culprit
in at least a few of these fires.
Next, you'll hear from an SPU employee
who works at a transfer station
and was on site during one of the fire incidents.
Thank you for your time.
-Hello. My name is Julian Santos.
I've been a laborer at the South and North Transfer Station
for the past two years.
I am here to talk about what happens
when batteries are thrown away in the garbage.
Well, what happens is we dispose of it
just like any other garbage we would.
Garbage gets dropped off. Our bulldozer bucket operator
will push the garbage up into the compactor.
When that happens, there is a small chance
that the battery could be caught underneath the loading bucket,
creating a spark.
This happened recently at our South Station.
When that happened, the spark -- when that happened,
we pushed the garbage -- when that happened, the --
we pushed the spark into the garbage,
creating a flame in the garbage pile.
It was a lithium ion battery, and when that happened,
lithium batteries tend to explode,
spreading a fire's reach. It spread very quickly.
When that happens, our operator calls over the radio
letting everybody at the station know that there is a fire.
After that, we pulled the fire alarm,
evacuate the customers, stopped incoming traffic,
and evacuate ourselves,
leaving the rest up to fire -- Seattle Fire.
Our director's rule is very important
to our safety at the stations
and our safety for the community at the landfills.
Everything that leaves our station
goes directly into the landfills,
so it is important for our community
to dispose of them correctly.
You can dispose of batteries at our North
and South Transfer Stations for free.
If not -- if you don't want to swing by here,
we will take them at any e-waste recycle plant.
They will also accept them for free.
Next, I am going to introduce McKenna.
-Thank you, Julian.
The new director's rule addresses the immediate need
for batteries to be disposed of safely and properly.
While Washington State passed a law
to require battery producers to create and pay
for a collection and recycling system for batteries statewide,
it does not take effect until 2027.
And we can't wait to act
to protect our staff and facilities.
There are several ways that SPU customers
can safely dispose of batteries and electronics
and this information is also available on our website.
Batteries can be dropped off for free at SPU
North and South Transfer Stations,
at our hazardous waste facilities.
And rechargeable batteries can be taken
to partner retail locations through the Call
to Recycle Voluntary Producer Responsibility Network.
Customers can also request to have them picked up
at the curb for $5 through our special item pickup program.
For customers in apartments or condos,
the account holder such as the property manager
needs to schedule the pickup.
If a battery is damaged or defective,
customers should take those batteries
to a household hazardous waste facility
for special handling to ensure safe handling and disposal.
Electronics can be dropped off for free at out
North Transfer Station and throughout the city
at a number of sites
provided through the free statewide recycling program
called E-Cycle Washington.
We want to thank our customers for doing their part
in keeping our staff safe
by properly disposing of batteries and electronics.
Thank you.
-So that'll conclude the information
that we wanted to share with you.
If there are a question or two,
I'll be more than happy to answer that.
Otherwise, we're going to see a demonstration right now.
So I'll just open it up for questions.
Thank you, we're going to -- no. Are there any questions?
We're really excited about this opportunity.
Again, I want to thank Director Lee and the Chief
for making our entire city aware of what we're trying to do.
We're trying to protect people,
protect our employees and protect our environment.
It's really as simple as that and this director's rule
will certainly head us in the right direction.
Okay. Yes, sir.
-Are the guys and gals who pick up the garbage,
are they going to be looking for this in the future?
Yeah, you know, and if there's a chronic problem,
do something about it?
-Sure. I think the question is will they inspect the garbage?
Is the -- -Well, I just feel like
when they're dumping it or they see it, you know,
if they see a whole bunch of batteries
and then, you know, at a later time, they see more.
-Yeah, do you want to answer? -Did you hear the question?
-Sure. Yeah.
If our collection staff observe batteries or electronics
in the garbage,
they will leave a tag for the customer letting them know
and asking them to remove it
so that the collection can proceed safely.
-What is the status of electric car batteries?
I mean obviously you're not going to recycle them,
but how do you guys handle that?
-The status of electric car batteries.
And I just to clarify the question,
yeah, I guess the question would be
what does the manufacturer of these vehicles,
what are their plans to do with their batteries?
-You know, obviously the coverage
of this particular director's rule
is on electronic batteries, not vehicle batteries.
My understanding is this is a rapidly
developing kind of area of recycling and reuse
and we're closely monitoring it.
But, you know, this, again, this particular director's rule
doesn't really affect car batteries, at this time.
McKenna, do you want to add anything to that or?
-There is currently a bill
being considered in the state legislature
that would address electric vehicle batteries and action
has been taken at the state level in New Jersey.
They recently adopted a statewide recycling law
for electric vehicle batteries
and it's something that's being considered here
in Washington, as well.
-Thank you.
-Chief, what's the process of putting out these fires?
Are you using something differently as --
-Sure. You may remember last summer,
we deployed our Energy Response Team
and Captain Lujan is here from Fire Station 25.
So our firefighters have additional training
on our Energy Response Team
and they have a different type of a resource
to put these fires out.
But it's evolving so fast, we're still learning as we go,
and that's going to be a part of the demo
what you're going to see.
And Captain Lujan will be able to talk you through that.
-All right. Thanks for those questions.
We almost got stumped but we didn't,
so let's watch the demonstration.
-That's what we saw with the first cell failing.
There's another one failing right now.
So there's a total of four fails over there.
The fire that you're seeing is probably just the casing
that's on the outside of the battery.
So there's usually a pop and a hiss followed
by some smoke under pressure. And then --
That's actually a lot better
than the test runs I did, a little bit more going on.
-How big -- What's the size of the battery?
-Those are... We actually have some --
[ Explosion ]
The best one so far.