Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

New Jersey lawmaker seeks more oversight of scrap yards after fire concerns

nbcphiladelphia.com · 7hShare

A New Jersey lawmaker is pushing for greater state oversight of scrap yards and recycling facilities as the NBC10 Investigators highlighted gaps in how fires at those sites are prevented and how lithium-ion batteries are regulated. The NBC10 Investigators found no single agency in New Jersey or Pennsylvania is responsible for preventing many recycling center and scrap yard fires, often leaving local governments and fire departments to respond after a fire has already broken out. The fires have become a recurring problem across the Philadelphia region, with lithium-ion batteries frequently identified as the cause. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection officials told the NBC10 Investigators that the agency does not track lithium-ion battery fires and noted Pennsylvania has no law requiring household battery collection, though officials said batteries should not be disposed of in regular trash. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it does not have regul

First report: Recycling, scrap yard fires expose gaps in Pa., NJ: ‘We deserve to live better' — nbcphiladelphia.com, 1d