IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – It can happen without warning.
A spark from a lithium-ion battery can quickly turn into a full-on blaze, just like it did earlier this month at the Iowa City Landfill.
But worst of all, Resource Management Superintendent Jennifer Jordan says it’s become a recurring issue.
“We’ve actually had eight fires this year at the Iowa City landfill… If this stays on track, I mean, we’re going to be in the dozens at this point,” said Jordan.
According to the EPA, standard batteries aren’t the problem – it’s specifically lithium-ion batteries that can start fires and create environmental hazards.
And they’re found in everything, from phones to headphones and even laptops.
This year’s number of fires is on track with the numbers they saw prior to 2020, when the landfill introduced its battery drop-off program.
From then on, they saw an average of one to two fires a year, until now.
And every time a fire…
