Larimer County issued the following announcement on Nov. 5.
College-age graphic design students are being invited to submit their designs for a battery safety campaign.
Larimer County Solid Waste invites students to design and enter a sticker and decal contest to bring awareness of the hazards of tossing spent batteries in the trash or curbside recycling. The winning design will be featured in a Larimer County Solid Waste battery safety campaign during National Battery Month in February 2021.
Improperly disposed batteries are potentially dangerous and can catch fire. Today’s batteries are very powerful, and an increasing number are found in recycling streams and regular trash.
Because of their power they release heat and can start a fire. A national survey in 2018 found recycling center fires increased 50% while 64% of those fires were caused by lithium batteries.
“Batteries start three to five fires per month at our landfill and recycling center, so our staff is working hard to create awareness around this issue. We realized that students are a valuable asset to our community and want to harness their creativity and knowledge to help educate others. A bonus is that this contest fits perfectly with the county’s mission of empowering our community in innovative ways” said Linda Hammett, Household Hazardous Waste Manager.
The contest is an opportunity for students to promote their skills and make a difference in our community by keeping residents safe by reminding them to keep batteries out of regular trash and curbside recycling.
The winning designer will also receive gift cards from community sponsors including Jerry’s Artarama, Momo Lolo Coffee, Mugs Coffee, Spoons, Panino’s Italian Restaurant, and Matador Grill. Visit https://larimer.org/solidwaste/batteries for more information and to submit an entry. The deadline for entries is Dec. 1, 2020.
Batteries must be recycled at authorized facilities like Larimer County Hazardous Waste or the City of Fort Collins Timberline recycling facility.
Original source can be found here.
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