Monroe County Executive Adam Bello joined the Monroe County Fire Bureau, WM, and Sunnking on October 9 to announce a $1.3 million investment in a state-of-the-art Hazardous Materials Response Vehicle. The new vehicle will significantly enhance county-wide emergency response efforts, including incidents involving fires, chemical spills, explosions, and lithium-ion battery hazards.
“The safety of our community is, and will always remain, my top priority. This new Hazmat vehicle gives our first responders the advanced tools they need to quickly contain dangerous situations, like fires caused by lithium-ion batteries,” said County Executive Bello. “And as it is Fire Prevention Week, I want to remind everyone that prevention starts at home. I strongly encourage residents to use our free Lithium-Ion Battery Disposal Program at the ecopark to safely dispose of lithium-Ion batteries and reduce the risk of devastating fires. I want to thank my partners in the County Legislature for their commitment to public safety, as well as Sunnking and WM for standing with us to protect our community and our environment.”
“It is our responsibility to ensure first responders have the necessary resources to meet any hazard head on. The county’s new Hazmat Response Vehicle will strengthen our ability to respond swiftly and efficiently to threats to the community, ranging from spills of toxic chemicals to dangerous lithium-ion battery explosions,” said Chairman of the Public Safety Committee Dave Long.
In addition to this investment, Monroe County is reaffirming its Lithium-Ion Battery Disposal Program at the Monroe County/WM ecopark. In partnership with Sunnking, residents can safely dispose of damaged and old lithium-ion batteries for free with no appointment needed.
Lithium-ion batteries — found in cell phones, laptops, power tools, tablets, and vapes/e- cigarettes — can pose fire and explosion risks when improperly discarded or damaged. Since the disposal program began in September 2023, ecopark has collected 3.5 tons of lithium-ion and lithium-based batteries for proper and responsible disposal.
“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the county and WM in offering residents free, safe battery disposal at the Monroe County/WM ecopark,” said Adam Shine, President of Sunnking Sustainable Solutions.“ Batteries can be inherently dangerous if not handled properly. It’s imperative that consumers and the local business community keep these batteries out of landfills and away from facilities that aren’t equipped to manage them safely. We’re grateful to be part of a solution that prioritizes environmental responsibility and public safety.”
For more information, visit monroecounty.gov/ecopark.
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