(Athens-Clarke County Police Department)
ATHENS, Ga. - Police in Athens, Georgia, are asking residents to think twice before you throw away batteries.
According to the county, batteries are the No. 1 cause of fire in the area's solid waste facilities and equipment.
What we know:
The police department recently issued a warning to residents about the dangers of tossing batteries on Facebook.
According to the agency, tossed-out batteries can overheat, or be punctured or crushed and ignite, or accidentally have uncontrolled electricity flow by touching metal in the trash. All these things could lead to some heated situations.
What they're saying:
"One misplaced battery can spark a fire on a garbage truck, leading to $60,000 in damages and a risk to workers and the community," the police department said.
What you can do:
The county says free battery recycling is available at CHaRM on College Avenue, ACC Solid Waste on Hancock Industrial Way, ACC Landfill on Lexingon Road, or fire stations on Celeland Road, Danielsville Road and Jefferson Road.
Additional drop-off locations are at UGA, Lowe's, Batteries Plus, and Best Buy.
For more information about recycling batteries, you can contact the Recycling Division at (706) 613-3501 ext. 8.
The Source: Information for this story came from a release by the Athens-Clarke County government.