Residents across northwest Iowa now have designated locations to safely dispose of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries through a new regional recycling program.
The Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency has installed specialized collection bins at 12 locations across its service area, including three in Sioux County. Sioux County Emergency Management says the service is intended to keep batteries out of household garbage and curbside recycling, where damaged batteries can ignite and cause fires in collection trucks, recycling facilities and landfills.
Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in cell phones, laptops, power tools, cordless household equipment, rechargeable toys and e-bikes.
Three Sioux County Locations
Sioux County residents can bring batteries to the following locations:
Orange City: City Shop, 809 Concord Place SE
Rock Valley: Herm’s Sanitation, 2688 Rock Ridge Drive
Sioux Center: Brommer Sanitation, 360 Fourth Street Northwest
Batteries taken to Brommer Sanitation in Sioux Center should be brought inside the office because an outdoor collection bin will not be available.
Northwest Iowa Landfill Manager Brent Kach says the program gives residents a convenient way to reduce the risk posed by improperly discarded batteries.
“Many people don’t realize that tossing a rechargeable battery into the garbage or recycling bin can create a serious fire hazard. By providing dedicated collection bins, we’re making it easier for everyone to do the right thing.”
According to the landfill’s release, lithium-ion battery usage has increased by an estimated 900 percent over the past decade. The release also cites industry data showing catastrophic fires caused by lithium-ion batteries at waste and recycling facilities have increased 41 percent over the past five years, resulting in more than $2.5 billion in damage.
Additional Regional Drop-Off Sites
Collection sites are also available at:
Doon: City Shop, 210 North First Street
Inwood: Community Center, 103 South Main Street
Sheldon: Community Building, southwest corner of the parking lot
Sibley: Sibley Food Store, 407 Ninth Street
Sanborn: City Hall, 102 Main Street
Primghar: Primghar Hardware, 115 South Green Street
Rock Rapids: Denny’s Sanitation, 213 North Union Street
Akron: Park Maintenance Shed, 321 North Third Street
Archer: Old Coop, 202 Main Street
The Archer location uses its own collection bin, which will look different from those installed at the other sites.
The bins were purchased from CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, a Canadian company that supplies recycling collection systems to municipalities and waste facilities across North America.
Residents should contact Northwest Iowa Landfill for information about accepted battery types and collection hours. Batteries covered by the program should not be placed in household garbage or curbside recycling.
