Girl Scout to lead battery take-back event at Griffin School

A sixth grade student from Griffin School will lead a school-based battery disposal event, as part of an application process for a scouting leadership award. 

Scarlett Skillman, 11, reached out to The JOLT to invite the community to return used batteries through the free and public Griffin School Battery Take-Back event on May 28 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

The event, done in concert with the National Waste and Recycling Association and U.S. Forest Service’s mascot Woodsy Owl, promotes battery safety, proper disposal and steps to avoid battery fires. 

Skillman is using the project to vie for the Girl Scout Silver Award, one of the highest scouting awards. 

“Many people think since batteries are not toxic that they do not need to be recycled and properly disposed of other than putting them in the trash. However, while many types of batteries are not toxic on their own, all batteries can still spark fires and those fires produce toxins when not properly disposed of,” she said.  

Skillman said the motivation behind the project is her great-grandparents, Faye and Bob Skillman, who helped found the Griffin Fire Department. 

“Because recycling batteries prevents fires, and when the people go to the fire department (to) drop their batteries off, they are thinking of reducing fires, and the fire department will be happy because they don't have to do as much work,” she said.  

Event details 

The event accepts single-use batteries (AA, AAA, 9-Volt, C, D), button cells (from watches, hearing aids and small electronics) and removable rechargeable batteries (lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium from toothbrushes, shaving razors, drones, laptops, cameras, phones and power tools). 

Industrial or large-format batteries, and batteries from cars, vapes and scooters are not allowed. 

Event attendees may also snap photos with Woodsy Owl, interact with a retro Airstream, learn how to safely store and dispose of used batteries and grab some merchandise.  

Skillman will also host a school assembly where elementary students can experience the interactive education trailer all day.  

After the drop-off, a one-drum bin will be placed at Griffin for internal use, and another bin will be placed at the fire department area for community use.  

“My community bin will added on the battery recycling finder website. Future bins will be paid for by the new law funding. ... Washington is one of the first in the nation to do this law,” Skillman said. 

The state of Washington passed a product stewardship program for batteries in 2023 that will be launched in January 2027. Collection sites will begin accepting batteries starting in July 2027. 

Significance 

Genevieve O’Sullivan, Senior Vice President at the National Waste and Recycling Association, said in an interview with The JOLT that various environmental and safety issues are associated with improper battery disposal. 

“The biggest issue that kept coming up was lithium-ion battery fires in the waste recycling industry. It is a huge problem. It's a safety issue and an environmental issue, because what we have is we've got daily fires happening where they’re burning down trucks and burning down full recycling centers, transfer stations and catching landfills on fire,” O’Sullivan said. 

To widen the scope of public service announcements on correct battery disposal, O’Sullivan is leading the national “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” advocacy campaign.  

The City of Olympia became one of the test sites of the campaign, which first launched in Illinois. 

Skillman connected with O’Sullivan through the association’s website and has since partnered with them for the upcoming event at Griffin School.

The association will also hold the Washington State Efficiency Environment Performance Take-Back event at the Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia on June 18.