Sanchez questions battery disposal outreach and education
Sanchez asks what outreach DSNY has done on proper disposal of rechargeable batteries for micromobility devices. Anderson says DSNY works with FDNY and the mayor's office on fire safety education and is awaiting DEC approval of the battery producer responsibility plan.
So I want to touch on Councilmember Nurse's rechargeable battery disposal plan.
What outreach and education has the department engaged in to inform the public of a proper way to dispose of rechargeable batteries for micromobility devices?
Yeah, so we do quite a bit of education.
This month in particular is Fire Safety Month, and one of the areas of focus this Fire Safety Month is around rechargeable batteries.
So everything from buying UL-approved batteries and making sure that you only have batteries that are safe to use, how to safely store and charge them in your home or business, and how to safely
dispose of and recycle them at the end of life.
The FDNY is doing a lot of education around that this month.
We are working with them on that education.
The mayor's office has put out some social media on that.
So those are the kinds of things that we do.
When the plan from the battery network, which is the producer responsibility organization, is approved by DEC, there are also education components of that that will be
undertaken by the producer responsibility organization.
At this point, DEC has not yet approved that plan.
We're having ongoing conversations about the right balance between convenience and safety, because obviously we don't want to create drop-off opportunities that then create fire risk and are unsafe for either commercial establishments or for our communities.
So that's an ongoing conversation, but as soon as that plan is approved, we expect that there will be funding there for education as well.