Spokane ValleySaturday, November 7
Two fires in two days hit the Valley Transfer Station, which has since reopened
The Daily Spokane Valley team
If you've got old batteries, fireworks or leftover chemicals, keep them out of the trash. A small early-morning fire Friday closed the Valley Transfer Station on North Sullivan Road, the second in two days, and the station reopened later that day. KXLY reports investigators linked the fires to a chemical reaction involving explosives and wiring that residents threw out with regular trash.
A loader's weight turns a trash-floor mix into a fire risk
- 2
- fires in two days at the Valley Transfer Station
- 40,000 pounds
- is the loader weight operations manager Quinn Gonder cited
- 7 days
- a week the household hazardous waste facility is open
Sources: KXLY.com, NonStop Local KHQ
Operations manager Quinn Gonder said batteries are "one of our main culprits." Staff are on site to help: "Anyone that has chemicals, batteries, anything that recharges, please ask one of our staff members where that goes."
Light bulbs and batteries go to the hazardous waste facility
| Item | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Light bulbs | Household hazardous waste facility |
| Batteries | Household hazardous waste facility |
| Car batteries | Valley Transfer Station |
| Paint | Valley Transfer Station |
| Propane tanks | Valley Transfer Station |
Source: KXLY.com
- Station limit: 15 gallons of hazardous materials per trip
- Household hazardous waste drop-off: free for Spokane County residents
- Other sites: Spokane's Waste to Energy Facility, North County Transfer Station
Sources: KXLY.com, NonStop Local KHQ, KREM