One battery can spark a truck fire
May 21, 2026
What started as a routine garbage collection quickly turned dangerous. A battery tossed in the trash ignited inside one of our collection trucks, putting our crews, equipment, and surrounding neighborhoods at risk. The photos above show what remained of a lithium-ion battery pack commonly found in power tools, laptops, e-bikes, and wireless devices. When these batteries are thrown in the trash, they can be crushed during collection. One spark is all it takes.
And once that spark happens in the back of a garbage truck, flames can spread in seconds. What may seem like a small item from home can suddenly become a dangerous fire with real consequences for the people working behind your service every day.
Why this matters
This isn’t a small issue. It’s a real safety risk with real impacts.
- Puts drivers and crews at risk: Fires can ignite in seconds, putting workers in danger.
- Damages trucks and equipment: One battery can cause serious damage or total loss.
- Disrupts service: Truck downtime means delays for neighborhoods.
- Drives up costs: Repairs and emergency response add up fast.
Bottom line: This is preventable.
What you can do now
- Do not put batteries in your trash or recycling
- Use our free doorstep pickup program
- Take them to a battery drop-off location
- Placer County residents can drop off household hazardous waste (HHW) at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) free of charge, daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find more information here.
- When preparing batteries for disposal, tape the terminals to prevent sparks
For drop-off locations or to learn more about our free doorstep pickup, follow this link.
Keep it simple
One battery can start a fire. If it has a battery, keep it out of your bin. Your choice protects the person picking up your trash and keeps your service running.