Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill banning lithium-ion batteries and some electronic waste from disposal at New Hampshire landfills and incinerators, stemming a serious fire hazard. 鈥淟ithium-ion batteries are problematic when they get disposed of in landfills because often heavy machinery is used to handle our trash,鈥� said Reagan Bissonnette, executive director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association, a recycling nonprofit. 鈥淎nd if a lithium-ion battery gets punctured, it is pretty flammable.鈥�
A good rule of thumb on knowing whether something contains a lithium-ion battery is if it鈥檚 rechargeable, Bissonnette said. In addition to these batteries, the new law adds to the list of electronic waste prohibited from disposal at the state鈥檚 landfills and incinerators. It also will create educational material around recycling.
Sean P. Toomey, the state fire marshal, supported the measure, House Bill 1386, and stressed the importance of educating citizens about battery safety. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had some landfill- or trash-related fires in the state that have a possibility of being battery-related,鈥� Toomey said in an interview following the bill signing, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 sometimes difficult to actually pinpoint it because, you know, it鈥檚 trash.鈥�
The new law, which goes into effect in July 2025, adds items to that list, including:
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Wireless telephones
- Printers
- Copiers
- Fax machines
- Computer accessories, such as keyboards, mice, video cameras and speakers, external hard drives, memory storage devices, and scanners.