Ask the Mayor: Where Can I Take Old Batteries?

Maui Now stock photo. June 2016

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at [email protected], 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Hi Mayor,

Q:  Is there anywhere I can take my old, worn batteries on Maui?

A: Yes, you have a few options.

Your first option is to hold on to the used batteries and save them for the Household Hazardous Waste event coming up this summer. Once the dates for this event are announced, you just need to contact the county’s contractor, Enviroservices, to make an appointment by calling toll-free 1 (855) 325-3222.

A second option is to mail the used batteries to a waste handler for a fee. One such handler is Waste Management’s bulb, battery and electronics mail-back programs. Info is available online at www.wm.com/residential/recycle-by-mail.jsp.

Lastly, you can opt to dispose of the old batteries in the trash. While this is not optimal, our state Department of Health landfill rules state that “per the EPA, small quantities of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) are allowed in a Sub-title D landfill.”

Our Central Maui Landfill is a Sub-title D landfill, and its leachate is tested routinely to ensure compliance with EPA Regulations.

The Solid Waste Division of our Department of Environmental Management routinely gets a gold star for preventing HHW materials or Commercial Hazardous Waste from being accepted at the Central Maui Landfill.

In the future, the county will consider creating a battery recycling program depending on funding.