Check Smoke Detector Batteries Before the Holiday Season Begins

Planning your Thanksgiving dinner?  If you haven’t checked and changed the batteries in your home smoke detector since last November, now is the time to do so.

Experts recommend replacing smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries at least once a year. With plenty of holiday cooking and entertaining just around the corner, Waste Management of New Jersey urges customers to take a few minutes to check the batteries in these safety devices now.

It’s just as important to properly handle and recycle batteries and smoke detectors that are no longer in use. Some types of batteries contain toxic constituents, such as mercury and cadmium, and do not belong in the trash. In addition, smoke alarms and detectors contain small amounts of radioactive waste, and should only be handled by an electronics recycling plant. EPA has an informative section on smoke detectors on its Web site.  

If you’re planning to buy a new TV, computer, radio or other home electronics this holiday season, Waste Management of New Jersey reminds you to take your old home electronics to a recycling center for disposal, rather than placing them at the curb with the trash. In many electronics, cadmium and lead are commonly found. Even old cell phones shouldn't be tossed in the trash; they should be donated or recycled.

To find more information about New Jersey recycling regulations and a list of municipal and county recycling centers as well as retailers that accept used batteries and household electronics, visit the NJ Department of Environmental Protection website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/recycling.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are the largest residential recycler and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com.

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