Don’t Put Your Batteries in the Trash

Santa Barbara and MarBorg Sponsor Hazardous Waste Disposal Event

When trash caught fire in a MarBorg truck, firefighters found batteries among the waste. Batteries must be handled as hazardous material and can be dropped off — along with paint, motor oil, light bulbs, and so on — at Santa Barbara City College on June 8. | Credit: Courtesy of Brian Borgatello, President of MarBorg Industries

When a MarBorg garbage truck caught on fire on May 20, the driver had to dump the trash for firefighters to extinguish in a nearby parking lot in Goleta. Within the ash and debris were unwanted batteries, according to Brian Borgatello, president of MarBorg Industries.

“The trucks [are worth] up to $400,000, not to mention that most of them run on compressed natural gas,” Borgatello said. “That adds a whole other element of danger.”

MarBorg and the City of Santa Barbara are hosting a free household hazardous waste disposal event on Saturday, June 8, for city residents.

“The idea is to make it easier and easier for people, the consumer, to dispose of [hazardous waste],” Borgatello said. “Once it becomes a hassle to dispose of, then people are going to take short cuts and do the wrong thing.”

MarBorg trucks like the one that caught fire are worth up to $400,000, said MarBorg’s president. | Credit: Courtesy of Brian Borgatello, President of MarBorg Industries

The accepted items include antifreeze, batteries, cleaning products, light bulbs, paint, motor oil, and electronic waste.

MarBorg truck fires occur around two to three times annually, Borgatello said. Due to the increase in cordless, battery powered electronics, fires have become more frequent not only in their trucks, but at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) MarBorg operates at the Tajiguas Landfill.

“We’ve had a lot of fires at the [MRF] facility that we operate for the county,” Borgatello said. “And we’ve only been doing it for two and a half years.”

Christopher Clark, the city’s environmental services specialist, said as trucks compress trash and any batteries inside, chemicals in the batteries can heat and catch fire. He recommended placing household batteries separate from all other waste on top of garbage cans at home.

To safely transport these hazardous materials to the event, Clark advised residents to keep waste in cardboard or plastic boxes in the trunk of their car. Disposals of up to 15 gallons in size or 115 pounds in weight will be accepted per trip.

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event on June 8, will go from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Santa Barbara City College Lot 2-C.

Hazardous waste can be dropped off at year-round facilities including the Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center located at UCSB’s Environmental Health and Safety Building, as well as the downtown MarBorg Recycle Center located at 132 Nopalitos Way.