Polk County Hosts Lithium-Ion Battery Training Exercise
Bartow, Fla. (Aug. 9, 2024) – Polk County’s Waste and Recycling Division hosted
“Lithium-Ion Fire and Chlorine Release” exercise at the North Central Landfill on Wednesday.
“The four-hour exercise, which was funded by the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, prepared staff to effectively and safely deal with a lithium-Ion battery-related emergency at the landfill.
“Lithium-ion batteries are all around us,” said Dale Henderson, director of the county’s Waste and Recycling Division. “They’re in our laptops, phones, toys, the list goes on and on. They’re not supposed to end up at the landfill, but they often do, either because residents don’t realize they’re throwing the batteries in the garbage, or because they think they’re not doing any harm.”
Lithium-ion batteries can easily overheat, rupture and…
