Recent Fire Highlights Urgent Need for Community Action
(Firefighters work alongside landfill staff to contain a fire at the Chautauqua County Landfill in Ellery on November 3, 2024. Image by Chautauqua County Emergency Services.)
ELLERY, NY – Chautauqua County’s landfill managers are urging residents to help prevent dangerous fires by properly disposing of rechargeable batteries. A recent fire at the county landfill in Ellery—swiftly contained by firefighters and landfill staff—highlights the critical need for safe battery recycling to protect public safety.
“Rechargeable batteries, especially Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs), can cause fires in waste facilities if they’re thrown out with regular trash,” said Aaron Gustafson, Landfill Manager and Deputy Director of Public Facilities. “Our landfill team has been working hard to keep these fires contained, but we need the public’s help to make sure batteries are disposed of safely to avoid putting lives at risk. This issue extends beyond waste management—many residential fires in Chautauqua County have also been caused by rechargeable batteries, underscoring the importance of proper use, storage, and disposal in homes to ensure safety.”
These fires, often sparked by improperly discarded rechargeable batteries, pose a threat to waste facility employees, the environment, and general public safety. Gustafson emphasized the importance of preventing battery-related fires to maintain essential waste management services, adding, “We’re seeing the effects firsthand—fires at waste facilities are becoming more common, causing delays, raising costs, and straining our community resources.”
What You Can Do: Dispose of Batteries Safely
Rechargeable batteries, particularly Lithium-Ion Batteries found in many household devices, should never be disposed of with regular trash. Instead, residents are encouraged to bring used rechargeable batteries to designated drop-off locations.
To ensure batteries are handled safely, New York State law (Environmental Conservation Chapter 43-B, Article 27, Title 18) mandates that retailers who sell rechargeable batteries offer collection services for used ones. Battery manufacturers are also required to cover the cost of recycling collected rechargeable batteries.
For more information on the law, visit: nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ENV/27-1807
Where to Recycle Rechargeable Batteries
To safely dispose of rechargeable batteries, Chautauqua County residents can drop them off at the following locations:
- Dunkirk Area: Add Lumber (also accepts cell phones), Harbor Freight, Home Depot, uBreakiFix (also accepts cell phones), Walmart (also accepts cell phones)
- Jamestown Area: Home Depot, Walmart (also accepts cell phones), Wegmans (also accepts cell phones)
To find more drop-off locations, visit: call2recycle.org/Locator.
Preventing Future Fires
With the help of the community, Chautauqua County hopes to avoid future fires by raising awareness of safe battery disposal. “By making the effort to recycle batteries properly, we can protect our landfill, our workers, and our community,” said Gustafson. “This isn’t just about the landfill—it’s about keeping our entire community safe.”
In addition to the landfill, Chautauqua County reminds residents that safe battery disposal is also essential at all county transfer stations, which transfer waste to the landfill and face similar fire risks from improperly discarded batteries.
Batteries should not be placed in regular trash at these locations: North County Transfer Station in Fredonia, South County Transfer Station in Falconer, West County Transfer Station in Sherman, and Ellery Transfer Station in Jamestown.
By recycling batteries at designated collection sites, residents can help prevent fires and protect community safety.
