Commission adopts ordinance requiring retailers to offer free battery recycling after citing fire risks

Broward County commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance April 1 that requires certain retailers to provide free recycling for used batteries and establishes penalties for retailer noncompliance.

The sponsor said the ordinance responds to a regional concern about fires caused by improperly disposed lithium batteries. “What this does is it creates an ordinance requiring retailers to offer free recycling for batteries,” the sponsor told the commission, describing exemptions for small, occasional sellers and identifying retail thresholds that determine who must participate.

Under the ordinance as discussed, large-volume retailers and businesses that meet a defined sales threshold must provide a battery-recycling drop-off and post signage (minimum 8½-by-11 inches) informing customers that used batteries cannot be tossed in the trash. The sponsor said household consumers who discard batteries improperly are not subject to criminal or monetary penalties under the new rule; instead the ordinance establishes civil fines for retailers who fail to comply: $250 for the first violation and $500 for subsequent violations. Municipalities and the county may enforce the rule.

Commissioners supported the ordinance during the public hearing, noting continuing reports of lithium-battery fires in trash trucks and household incidents. One commissioner offered to bring the item to the Solid Waste Authority for wider dissemination and called the ordinance a “very good piece of legislation.” The measure passed unanimously, 8-0.

Why this matters: Lithium batteries can ignite when placed with household trash and have caused fires at waste facilities and in residential trash containers. The new county rule places responsibility on higher-volume retailers to provide recycling access and creates local enforcement mechanisms, while explicitly excluding penalties for consumers who dispose of batteries improperly.