Staff at the Allen County Landfill continue to work on a collection site for discarded batteries, and have been temporarily setting batteries aside as the public becomes more aware of the need to separate them from other garbage.
Public Works Director Mitch Garner updated commissioners on plans at Tuesday’s meeting. He asked for guidance about what type of collection to establish, such as whether it should be limited to batteries or expanded to all electronic items, also known as e-waste. The state defines electronic items as anything that uses a cord and includes microwaves and even lamps, he said.
Commissioners said they preferred to limit collection to just lithium ion batteries.
Garner said that includes laptops and cell phones in their entirety.
Garner said the plan is to set up barrels for disposal of lithium ion batteries. Each evening, staff will cover the batteries with sand to prevent them catching fire.
Lithium ion batteries have been blamed for at least three fires at the landfill this year. Garner said the batteries are not supposed to be thrown away with other garbage, but most people simply toss them in the trash. Lithium ion batteries are found in rechargeable electronics such as computers, phones, vaping devices and even toys.
The battery collection site will require a permit from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The county is in the process of securing permits for the battery collection as well as for a monofill site to collect used tires.
Commissioners asked Garner to create a “fact sheet” about battery recycling that can be published in the newspaper and website, and can be handed out to patrons of the landfill.
MEANWHILE, crews constructing a new cell for trash collection at the landfill will need to add bentonite clay, made from volcanic ash, for the base of the cell. The natural clay found at the site isn’t holding water.
Garner provided commissioners with cost estimates, which could add more than half a million dollars to the project.
Crews will construct two two tests, one with a 3% bentonite mixture and one with 4%.
Depending on which one meets KDHE requirements, it will add either $470,971.40 or $577,771.40 to the cost of the cell construction.
Regardless, the project still comes in under original estimates. Garner expected the cost of the cell would be around $5 million, but the winning bid came in at $2.36 million.
