St. Johns County fire official urges residents to properly dispose of lithium‑ion batteries

Chris Cap, public information officer for St. Johns County Fire Rescue, warned that rechargeable lithium‑ion batteries can cause fires if tossed in household trash and urged residents to dispose of them at appropriate facilities.

Cap spoke at the Tillman Ridge Transfer Station and said lithium‑ion cells are found in tools, computers and e‑cigarettes. He said these batteries "can cause fires" when they end up in the back of trash trucks and are exposed to heat or compacting forces.

Cap told viewers not to put lithium‑ion batteries in curbside recycling or regular trash and advised using a household hazardous‑waste or recycling facility for disposal. "So, in short, make sure you're properly disposing of your lithium ion batteries," he said.

The announcement stresses the risk to collection workers and equipment: fires can start inside compacted trash loads, creating hazards for drivers and crews. Residents with batteries they wish to discard were directed to use county recycling or hazardous‑waste drop‑off sites, such as the Tillman Ridge Transfer Station.

The brief public information message focused on prevention and safe disposal; no new policy or collection program was announced in the recording.