Waste Management Reminds Customers to Check Home Smoke Detector Batteries

Plans are under way for Thankgiving dinners and holiday get-togethers.  As we get prepare for plenty of holiday cooking and entertaining, Waste Management of New Jersey reminds customers it’s a good time to check and make sure their home smoke detectors are working properly.

Public safety experts recommend replacing smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries at least once a year. If you haven’t switched the batteries in these essential home safety devices since last Thanksgiving, now would be a good time to do so.

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. 

And if you’re planning to buy a new TV, computer, or radio 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.