A spark in the wrong bin has become a big problem. Seven recycling trucks were destroyed by fires last year after residents tossed lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous items into curbside recycling carts in Glenview, a recycling company official told residents at a recent community forum. The warning came with a push: change what goes in the blue cart, take advantage of new drop-off programs, and help keep workers — and neighborhoods — safe.

Fires in the fleet

The message landed at the Glenview Public Library on Oct. 27, where more than 60 people gathered for “Recycling: Myth vs. Reality,” co-sponsored by Greener Glenview. Representatives from the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and Groot Industries/Waste Connections walked residents through how the suburban system works and where it’s going wrong.

Javier Erazo, district manager for Groot Industries/Waste Connections, described how battery-caused fires have become routine. He said crews can see flare-ups daily during certain seasons, and even after a fire is knocked down, smoldering material can reignite hours later on a second shift. Inside material recovery facilities, where workers manually sort recyclables, hazards intensify when batteries, hypodermic needles and soiled items come in with paper and plastic.

Glenview receives waste hauling and recycling collection from Groot, which was acquired by Waste Connections in 2017. SWANCC, of which Glenview is a member, manages transfer and disposal for its 23 member communities and offers special services for items that don’t belong in household carts. Garbage collected in Glenview goes to SWANCC’s Glenview Transfer Station, then by semi-truck to the Winnebago Landfill south of Rockford. SWANCC’s education staff told residents the agency’s members generate about 250,000 tons of landfill-bound garbage each year.

What belongs in the blue cart

At the forum, agencies stressed that contamination — putting the wrong thing in the right cart — drives fire risk and derails recycling. In Glenview, acceptable curbside items are straightforward: clean glass bottles and jars; metal, steel and aluminum cans and containers; paper, magazines, cartons and flattened boxes; and plastic bottles and jugs with caps on. Items must be empty, clean and placed loose — not bagged.

The no-go list is just as important. Batteries of all kinds, electronics, hypodermic needles, plastic bags and wrap, diapers and tissues, food and liquid, shredded paper, clothing and shoes, and tanglers like hoses, wires, cords and hangers all do not belong in curbside recycling. Those items either endanger workers, jam sorting machinery or contaminate whole loads that then head to the landfill.

Regionally, there’s plenty of room to improve. Suburban households in Cook County send most of what they set out to landfills; the recycling rate sits around 18% and total waste diversion is about 27%, according to the Cook County Department of Environment & Sustainability. County data show the average person generates roughly 8 pounds of waste per day — with far more landfilled than recovered — making every clean, correct item in the blue cart matter.

New drop-offs are coming

Christina Seibert, SWANCC’s executive director, outlined changes aimed at catching hazardous items before they land in a truck. Beginning in December, SWANCC will start collecting latex paint, with more details to follow. In January, battery drop-off sites — for lithium, alkaline and rechargeable — will open at select retail locations.

Seibert also described a stepped-up education campaign. SWANCC’s new “Feed the Cart” effort uses a friendly character named Loop in billboards, on transit, and on social media to spotlight what to recycle — and what to keep out. Locally, residents who need a quick “what goes where” check can use Glenview’s Recycle Coach tool. Statewide, education tools like Recycle Coach are expanding; the program is free for communities and designed to complement local systems, according to MyJournalCourier - Recycle Coach program coverage.

The rules are tightening on batteries

Beyond local fire risks, state rules are lining up around safer battery handling. Under the Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act, all unwanted covered batteries must go to certified collection sites, events or programs starting Jan. 1, 2028; producers must add chemistry and “do not dispose” labels by 2029, the law states, according to the Illinois Statute - Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act (415 ILCS 205). The statute’s enforcement provisions focus on producers and commercial actors; the act does not impose felony penalties on individual residents disposing of batteries improperly in noncommercial settings.

Illinois already treats used batteries with care under universal waste rules. Handlers must use structurally sound, closed containers and prevent leakage; damaged or compromised batteries can fall under hazardous waste rules, according to the Illinois Administrative Code (universal waste battery rules) via Cornell Law School. Those requirements underscore why a loose lithium-ion battery in a curbside cart can become an ignition source once compacted in a truck.

For households trying to do the right thing, there are safe outlets. Illinois bans certain items — like lead-acid batteries and liquid motor oil — from landfills, and points residents to national mail-back programs for many batteries as well as community household hazardous waste events, according to Illinois EPA - Household Hazardous Waste Guidance. Cook County residents also have a standing option for awkward items: the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials in South Holland offers permanent drop-off for things not accepted at the curb, and a household hazardous waste facility is slated to open there in 2025, according to Cook County - CHaRM Center.

To avoid fires and fines, do these five things

  • Keep all batteries — lithium-ion, alkaline and rechargeable — out of curbside recycling and trash; use mail-back programs or designated collection sites, according to Illinois EPA - Household Hazardous Waste Guidance. Upcoming retail drop-off sites in Glenview start in January as part of SWANCC’s program.
  • Place only clean, empty recyclables in the cart — no bags. Rinse containers and keep items loose, as emphasized by Glenview’s curbside guidelines shared at the forum.
  • Never include “tanglers” like hoses, wires, cords or hangers; these jam sorting equipment and increase risks for workers, local haulers warned.
  • Keep plastic bags and wrap out of the recycling cart; these contaminate loads and cause machinery problems, local agencies said.
  • Use education tools like Recycle Coach to confirm what’s accepted locally; the program is expanding statewide to supplement local systems, according to MyJournalCourier - Recycle Coach program coverage.

A community fix to a preventable problem

The stakes are clear. Fires that start with a tossed phone battery can total a recycling truck, put crews in harm’s way and cancel out the good work of neighbors who rinse, flatten and recycle correctly. They also undercut a county system still diverting just over a quarter of its waste, according to the Cook County Department of Environment & Sustainability.

Glenview’s next steps — latex paint collection in December, retail battery drop-offs in January, and a bigger education push — won’t grab headlines like a burning truck. But the programs offer practical ways to keep hazardous items out of carts and out of harm’s way. Residents can expect more guidance as details roll out, and a simple mantra in the meantime: if it’s a battery, it’s not a blue-cart item. The sooner that habit sticks, the less likely a spark in one home will turn into a fire across the community.

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