MARSHALL — Rechargeable batteries from items like laptops have started a half-dozen fires at the Lyon County landfill, Lyon County Environmental Administrator Roger Schroeder said. This week, Schroeder asked Lyon County Commissioners if they would consider imposing a fee or fine to help prevent the problem.

“They’re already banned from the landfill, but it seems like there’s just too many individuals that are negligent or unaware of the hazard that they pose,” Schroeder said of rechargeable batteries. “It is something that we need to address.”

In discussion, commissioners didn’t like the idea of setting penalties.

“I think it’s going to be tough to impose a fee. I still think education is the way to go,” Commissioner Todd Draper said.

Commissioners directed Schroeder to start with public education.

“The solid waste industry has challenges with some rechargeable batteries causing fires at landfills, recycling centers, and transport,” Schroeder said. “We had at least six fires last year at the landfill due to rechargeable batteries and computers and power tools. Our neighboring landfills and recycling centers have also had their fair share of fires.”

Schroeder said small batteries didn’t really pose a fire hazard at the landfill. “It’s really just the larger rechargeables, so anything over like 12 volts – like a cordless battery,” he said.

Most people were good about bringing rechargeable tool batteries to the Lyon County Household Hazardous Waste disposal dropoff, Schroeder said. “It’s the laptop batteries – most often, that’s the culprit.”

Schroeder said so far, battery-related fires at the Lyon County landfill have been easy for landfill workers to contain. However, he said the issue raised the question of whether the county should take steps to prevent items like lead acid and rechargeable batteries from being brought to the landfill.

“We’d like to discuss the idea of imposing a fee,” he said. “We just kind of threw out an idea of $50 for every time there is a rechargeable battery that’s identified in a waste load. The problem with this is, the haulers are the ones paying that fee.”

Schroeder said he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of waste haulers having to pay when a consumer throws away an item like a laptop battery. However, he said, if the county were to set a date when a fee would start being imposed, they could work to educate the public about the problem. Landfill employees could also work with waste haulers to try and narrow down where loads of garbage that contained a rechargeable battery came from, he said.

Schroeder said the landfill already imposes fines for improperly disposing electronic waste, tires and appliances.

However, commissioners thought the idea of an additional fine wouldn’t be helpful, and could lead to people improperly disposing of laptops in other ways.

“You’re better off putting a fee on at the beginning to help reimburse you, than for us to try to charge the haulers,” said Commissioner Rick Anderson.

Anderson said he thought the issue should be discussed at the annual landfill meeting. Schroeder said he would start with efforts to educate the public about proper battery disposal, and then report back to commissioners later this year.