Kalamazoo County’s Household Hazardous Waste Center has been getting an influx of electric car chargers.
The HHW Center accepts materials that can’t be safely thrown away or require special recycling, like lithium batteries or nail polish.
County spokesperson Matt Johnson said the Center has seen more residents bringing in chargers for electric vehicles, as they begin to age.
He suggests that’s not surprising. Some electric car chargers contain heavy metals and other hazardous materials like PCBs and can be considered electronic waste.
“Over time, as a household hazardous waste center, there’s probably been a time when they received their first smartphones and the time that they received their first smart watches," Johnson said.
The influx was first mentioned at a meeting of the Kalamazoo County Environmental Health Advisory Council, which operates in partnership with the Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Community Services' Environmental Health Department.
Evironmental Health Division manager Lucus Pols said at a June 10 meeting that the chargers were new for the HHW.
Johnson said people dropping off the devices have given several reasons for giving them up, like an expired warranty or broken device. He said the HHW Center is the best place for county residents to take these devices for safe disposal.
“It was definitely new for our household hazardous waste program and just something that they are looking at moving forward – are we going to see an increase in receiving these types of things?" Johnson said. "It is one thing where they are continuing to adjust and evolve as the times continue to advance and evolve with new advancements in different technologies.”
Johnson says the HHW is available for anyone living in the county and encourages people with similar devices in need of disposal to take them to the HHW.
