INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The National Waste & Recycling Foundation and the National Waste & Recycling Association launched a national public service campaign in January 2026 aimed at reducing battery-related fires in the waste and recycling industry.

The initiative, titled “Skip the Bin – Turn Your Batteries In!,” encourages residents to properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries and is designed to protect sanitation workers, waste facilities and surrounding communities.

The campaign follows a surge in fires linked to discarded batteries. Industry officials reported more than 1,000 battery-related fires nationwide in 2025 at locations including collection trucks, transfer stations, recycling facilities and landfills.

The effort comes as Indiana emerges as one of the fastest-growing manufacturing states for electric vehicle batteries.

Michael E. Hoffman, president of the National Waste & Recycling Foundation and CEO of the National Waste & Recycling Association, said many households now contain numerous lithium-ion batteries but residents often lack information about how to safely discard them.

“There were over a thousand fires in 2025,” Hoffman said. “There’s basically one every single day in every state in just the waste and recycling infrastructure, whether it’s collection, transfer, the recycling facility, or at the landfill, or a waste energy plant. We have a fire every day.”

The campaign warns that lithium-ion batteries operate through chemical reactions rather than simple electrical storage. When damaged or improperly handled, they can undergo thermal runaway — a rapid reaction that can cause temperatures to rise to several thousand degrees Fahrenheit within milliseconds. These fires cannot be extinguished with water, creating significant hazards in homes and waste facilities.

The foundation partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to feature the agency’s mascot, Woodsy Owl, in the campaign — one of the character’s most prominent public appearances in about two decades.

Hoffman said the Forest Service joined the initiative because of concerns about campers discarding batteries into campfires in national forests.

“We went to the U.S. Forest Service knowing that Woodsy had been around for almost 54 years at that point,” Hoffman said. “The Forest Service has concerns about fires in the national forest. So they were thrilled with the idea that Woodsy could get behind something like this.”

In addition to fire safety, the campaign highlights the importance of recycling batteries to recover valuable materials. Lithium-ion batteries contain rare earth metals that can be difficult to obtain. Hoffman said about 60% to 70% of these materials can be recovered and reused to manufacture new batteries.

“These are rare earth precious metals, particularly in the lithium-ion batteries,” Hoffman said. “And these are hard to find rare earth metals.”

The campaign’s website, Batterysafetynow.org, includes a ZIP code locator to help residents find nearby drop-off locations. About 20,000 retail sites nationwide participate in the program, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Tractor Supply Company and Staples.

“You put your zip code in and there are 20,000 retail locations around the country, one pretty much within 10 miles of most zip codes, not all, but most,” Hoffman said.

The program promotes a three-step disposal process: Prepare, Locate and Deliver. Residents are advised to tape the ends of batteries to prevent contact, place them in a resealable bag or box and bring them to a participating retailer.

Once collected, the Battery Network coordinates transportation to processing depots, where batteries are sorted by chemical composition and prepared for recycling.

Hoffman said the foundation hopes to expand the program by partnering with grocery stores.

“Our next big objective is, can we get the grocery industry to agree to let us do this in grocery stores as well?” Hoffman said. “And then we’re pretty much wrapped around the consumer almost everywhere you might go.”

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