Graphic Design Students Invited to Submit Designs for Battery Safety Campaign

Larimer County Solid Waste is inviting college-age graphic design students to design, submit and enter a sticker and decal contest for a battery safety campaign to bring awareness of the hazards of tossing spent batteries in the trash or curbside recycling.

Improperly disposed batteries are potentially dangerous and can catch fire as today’s batteries are very powerful, and an increasing number are found in recycling streams and regular garbage. A national survey conducted in 2018 found that recycling center fires increased by 50%, with 64% of those fires caused by lithium batteries.

“Batteries start three to five fires per month at our landfill and recycling center, so our staff is working hard to create awareness around this issue,” said Linda Hammett, Household Hazardous Waste Manager. “We realized that students are a valuable asset to our community and want to harness their creativity and knowledge to help educate others,” Linda said.

The contest is an opportunity for students to promote their skills and make a difference within the community by keeping residents safe and informed on keeping batteries out of regular trash and curbside recycling. The winning design for the contest will be featured in a Larimer County Solid Waste battery safety campaign during National Battery Month in February of next year.

The winning designer will also receive gift cards from community sponsors, including Jerry’s Artarama, Momo Lolo Coffee, Mugs Coffee, Spoons, Panino’s Italian Restaurant, and Matador Grill​. All entries must be submitted before the deadline of Tuesday, December 1.

Batteries must be recycled at authorized facilities such as Larimer County Hazardous Waste located at 5887 S. Taft Hill Rd or the City of Fort Collins Timberline recycling facility. Residential battery drop-off at the Hazardous Waste Facility is available to residents Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 am to 4:30 pm.

For more information, visit: www.larimer.org/solidwaste/haz or for more information including submitting an entry, visit: https://larimer.org/solidwaste/batteries