A single lithium-ion battery tossed in the trash helped ignite a fire that caused an estimated $1.55 million in damage at Wake County's North Wake Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Raleigh in January 2025 — and starting December 1, throwing one of those batteries in your household garbage anywhere in North Carolina will be against the law.
The statewide ban comes from North Carolina Session Law 2023-137, which amended General Statute 130A-309.10 to prohibit knowingly disposing of lithium-ion batteries in municipal landfills or incinerators, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. Lawmakers passed the measure back in 2023, giving local governments three years to build out drop-off collection systems before enforcement begins. As WRAL reported, residents will instead need to bring old batteries to a household hazardous waste facility, an authorized recycling center, or a universal waste handler.
A $1.5 Million Lesson From the North Wake Facility
The January 2025 blaze at the North Wake facility wasn't a one-off scare — it forced a total building demolition and site remediation, and it's still shaping how the county operates today. Under state environmental permit regulations put in place after the fire, the facility has been restricted to Saturday-only operations, with all hazardous materials collected, packed, and hauled off-site the same day, per Wake County Government. Full six-day service is expected to return only once a new building is constructed.
Wake County isn't dealing with this in isolation. County waste facilities across North Carolina experience at least one fire every three months on average, according to Wake County officials, and that local pattern tracks with a continent-wide spike: waste and recycling facilities across North America logged a record 448 fires in 2025, based on industry monitoring statistics the county cited. More than 89 fatalities across North America have been linked to lithium-ion battery fires since 2020, per the same county figures — a toll officials point to as the reason this is treated as a life-safety issue, not just a property one.
Garbage Trucks Are Getting Caught in the Crossfire
The danger isn't confined to drop-off facilities. A Carrboro municipal garbage truck caught fire in September after a lithium-ion battery was thrown into household trash and crushed by the vehicle's compacting machinery, drawing an emergency response from nearby firefighters, according to Carrboro Public Works. The hydraulic force packer blades exert can easily breach a sealed battery cell, triggering the kind of thermal runaway that generates intense heat and toxic gas within seconds.
The timing lines up with a national push on the issue. The National Fire Protection Association designated October 4 through 10 as Fire Prevention Week this year, built around the theme “Charge Into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” spotlighting everyday charging habits as much as disposal. WRAL's report on the campaign, credited to anchor and reporter Kirstyn Clark, noted that lithium-ion batteries pack a large amount of energy into a very small space — and that improper charging or disposal can cause them to overheat and ignite.
What Residents Are Being Told to Do Before Charging Up
Fire-safety guidance tied to the campaign urges people to use only the cord and charger supplied with a device or approved by its manufacturer, to check cords for damage before each use, and to charge devices on a hard, flat surface like a table, desk, or bare floor rather than a pillow, bed, or couch. People are also advised to unplug devices once fully charged, avoid charging overnight or when they can't monitor the device, and charge larger items such as e-bikes, scooters, and power tools outdoors when possible. Phones should be charged at room temperature, never below 32 degrees or above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and never near flammable objects like lit candles.
Anyone who notices a device that feels very hot, swells, smells strange, leaks, smokes, or makes popping or hissing sounds is told to stop using it immediately — the same warning signs apply to batteries showing odor, color change, excessive heat, shape change, leaking, or unusual noises. On planes, passengers are advised to keep charging devices where they can see them, avoid charging e-cigarettes or vapes, and tell a flight attendant right away if they notice a problem.
Preparing Old Batteries for Drop-Off
Once a battery is ready to be discarded rather than charged, preparation matters just as much as location. Waste management officials instruct residents to place non-conductive tape over battery terminals before dropping them off at hazardous waste centers or retail collection sites, as reported by WFMY News 2. Exposed terminals can rub against metal or other batteries in transit and generate sparks capable of setting off the very fires the new law is meant to prevent.
The Wake County Solid Waste Management Division provides battery disposal resources around the county, and residents elsewhere are encouraged to check their own county's list of designated drop-off centers ahead of the deadline. The December 1 ban isn't North Carolina's first attempt to force specialized recycling for hazardous waste streams — the state previously banned lead-acid vehicle batteries from landfills in 1991 and barred discarded computers and televisions in 2011, according to Wake County Government. Under state statutory guidelines, someone caught knowingly disposing of banned items faces only a warning for a first offense, with civil penalties climbing to $200 for a second violation and up to $500 for subsequent ones, per the North Carolina General Assembly.
