Now's the Time to Replace Home Smoke Detector Batteries

You remembered to set your clocks back an hour last Sunday.  But did you also make time to replace the batteries in your home smoke detectors?

Experts recommend changing smoke detector batteries every six months, so the switch from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time, and back to Daylight Saving Time in March, is a convenient reminder. And with plenty of holiday cooking and entertaining around the corner, Waste Management of New Jersey urges homeowners to take a few minutes to change smoke detector batteries now.

“To ensure a safe holiday season, it’s important to check your home smoke detection devices now, and it’s just as important to properly handle and recycle batteries and smoke detectors that are no longer in use,” said John Wohlrab, public affairs director for Waste Management of New Jersey. “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.  

“We would like to remind people that any electronic, like an old TV, computer screen or radio, needs to be taken to a recycling center for disposal, rather than placed on  the curb or thrown in the trash,” said Wohlrab. “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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