ST. HELENS, Ore. — Columbia County residents now have a free, year-round option to recycle household batteries through a new drop-off program at the Columbia County Transfer Station, county officials announced Thursday.
The program is designed to make battery recycling more convenient while reducing fire dangers linked to improperly discarded batteries in garbage trucks and waste processing facilities.
Officials said batteries thrown into trash or recycling bins can become damaged or crushed during collection, potentially causing fires. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in electronics and rechargeable devices, pose a particular concern because they can overheat and ignite.
“This program gives residents a safe and convenient way to recycle batteries while helping protect drivers, workers, and facilities from fires,” said Tatum Flowers, Columbia County Solid Waste Coordinator.
Residents can bring accepted batteries to the scale house at the Columbia County Transfer Station, located at 1601 Railroad Ave. in St. Helens.
The new service expands battery recycling access beyond periodic household hazardous waste collection events, providing residents with a permanent disposal option throughout the year.
According to the county, collected batteries will be stored in specialized containers designed to safely contain damaged or overheating batteries before they are sent for recycling.
Accepted items include household batteries, rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion batteries, button and coin cell batteries, cellphones, power tool batteries, laptop batteries, and small sealed lead-acid batteries weighing less than 25 pounds.
Vehicle lead-acid batteries are also accepted for a fee.
The county said the program does not accept electric vehicle batteries, large battery storage systems, or batteries that cannot be removed from products, with the exception of cellphones.
More information about the program is available through Columbia County Solid Waste Services.
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