Safely dispose of your embedded batteries for free at Townsville City Council's Household Embedded Battery Amnesty Weekend.
This weekend will kick start the Household Embedded Battery Collections Program by giving residents the chance to safely dispose of batteries in items like electric toothbrushes, vapes, and toys for free.
The program is funded by the Queensland Government's Local Government Battery Collection Program and will run until November this year.
Mayor Nick Dametto said safe battery disposal was a critical step in reducing battery fires across Townsville's resource recovery network.
"Embedded batteries are batteries that can't be easily removed from an item by hand. They're in so many of our common household devices like toys, Bluetooth speakers, and electric toothbrushes, but they are surprisingly dangerous when they enter our waste trucks," Cr Dametto said.
"Crushed lithium batteries can spark fires in our waste trucks and at our waste facilities.
"These fires have a huge knock-on effect. At its lowest impact, a battery fire means our waste truck has to pull over and dump its entire contents on the road, firefighters have to attend, and the day's waste collection schedule is impacted. It could also mean a truck worth $600,000 has to be replaced, or worse, it can pose a threat to the safety of council staff or others.
"The last thing we want is for Council's team or a member of the public to be hurt in a blaze, which is why it's vital for residents to dispose of their batteries properly.
"If you have an item at home with an embedded battery like a shaver, an e-scooter or a portable speaker, don't throw it in the bin – dispose of it responsibly by dropping it off for free at Stuart Waste Facility, Hervey Range Resource Recovery Centre or Magnetic Island Transfer Station. Remember, don't try to remove the battery, bring the whole device.
"This program will be ongoing through to November this year, so it's the perfect time to do a spring clean at home, gather up any items with embedded batteries that need to be thrown away and drop them off at one of our facilities at no cost."
This project is an initiative of the Resource Recovery Working Group of the North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQROC). NQROC is a partnership of five councils — Burdekin, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, and Townsville — working together to build a strong, sustainable North Queensland.
