BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 26, 2025
When Fort Fairfield launched a lithium battery recycling program last year, the aim was to cut the number of battery-sparked fires at the Tri-Community Landfill. A year later, the battery fires are still lighting trash ablaze, and the first recycling barrel isn’t even full. Since the program started, the landfill has had eight battery-related fires. During two of those, fire crews spent days at the site. Lithium, a lightweight, soft metal found in rocks and certain groundwater, can store a lot of energy in a small space. Lithium batteries power everything from electric toothbrushes and cellphones to laptops and scooters. Disposable e-cigarettes powered by lithium cells caused a slew of fires at Portland-based waste management company ecomaine a year ago. The batteries were also suspected in a trash fire that burned in Orrington for 10 days in 2024 and in a January blaze that destroyed a Fort Kent garage.