Greenport station fire highlights lithium‑battery hazards; county to conduct recycling audits
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Summary
After a recycling-building fire likely caused by a lithium‑ion battery, Columbia County solid waste officials said they will conduct recycling audits, expand outreach on contamination, and pursue producer‑responsibility solutions for difficult-to-handle batteries and agricultural plastics.
Columbia County’s Solid Waste Department reported a post‑Thanksgiving fire at the Greenport recycling top‑load building that staff suspect originated from a lithium‑ion battery placed in a recycling container. The fire was extinguished quickly by the Greenport Fire Department; there were no injuries and no equipment damage reported.
Wendy, Solid Waste Director, told the committee that lithium‑ion batteries—found in vape pens, phones, chargers and other consumer devices—are an increasing hazard in recycling and trash streams because many items are not suitable for curbside recycling and markets for some materials do not exist locally. “This is going to be an ongoing challenge,” she said, noting the department’s participation in EPA and state stakeholder discussions on extended producer responsibility and battery collection frameworks.
The department will conduct targeted recycling audits at its facilities to identify contamination and the stations that most need outreach, and it circulated a county recycling flyer to municipalities to reduce common contamination (no plastic bags, no Styrofoam, acceptable plastics limited to certain types). The county also emphasized supply‑chain and market limits for agricultural plastics and the high cost of recycling large agricultural tires, and asked supervisors to share leads on regional recyclers.
Solid Waste also briefed supervisors on changes to state food‑scraps recycling thresholds, which tighten in 2027 and 2029 and may affect a small number of commercial generators in the county. Committee members asked for clearer communication with town clerks and residents about temporary station closures (Gallatin) and contingency plans for residents who rely on those facilities.
No new policy or additional tax allocation was adopted at the meeting; staff asked for continued feedback from supervisors and for survey responses ahead of a February subcommittee meeting to guide decisions on station operations and potential consolidation.
