City and OCCRA propose indoor battery‑recycling kiosks at community centers to reduce fire risk

Kristen Lawton, director of recycling at the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA), told councilors OCCRA and parks staff plan to place battery‑recycling kiosks inside community centers to reduce the risk of batteries combusting in households and trash trucks.

Lawton said the units will be indoors and accessible only during center hours, and OCCRA will train staff and provide safety measures. “They will definitely be indoors. They will be in areas that are only open during the hours that the community centers are open, and they will be, we we also be helping staff to understand what's going in them and and have safety measures in place already,” Lawton said. OCCRA noted it has operated similar kiosks at Wegmans and other stores for more than 20 years.

Councilors raised concerns about improper drop‑offs (televisions, appliances and other items) and recommended prominent decaling and public education. Lawton said the Department of Energy grant funding includes outreach and that OCCRA can adjust collection frequency to match kiosk volume; at some existing locations collections occur weekly.

Several councilors suggested City Hall as an initial site because of daily foot traffic and staff oversight; OCCRA said it would explore that option. Councilors also asked staff to coordinate with Syracuse City School District and county youth and aging services to reach target audiences and to provide multilingual messaging.

Next steps: OCCRA and parks staff will work with councilors on site selection, finalize collection schedules, and incorporate outreach requirements as part of the DOE grant-funded pilot.