Could You Pass a Battery Safety Test? New Quiz Challenges Americans' Charging Habits During Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4 - 10)

Cirba Solutions' free Battery Smarts Quiz turns national consumer research into 10 questions to boost battery safety awareness

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The average American owns 11 products powered by lithium batteries. Most people use one every day, but few were taught how to properly charge, store or dispose of them safely. To close that gap, Cirba Solutions, the leading battery recycling materials and management company in North America, today launched the Battery Smarts Quiz, a free online tool that helps people test and improve their battery safety knowledge in minutes.

The launch comes during Fire Prevention Week™ (Oct. 4-10), hosted each year by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This year's theme, "Charge Into Fire Safety™. Safe Charging Is a Superpower," focuses on the everyday charging habits that help keep homes and communities safe.

The quiz builds directly on The Missing Link: Consumer Awareness in the Battery Life Cycle, the consumer study Cirba Solutions released earlier this year as a follow-up to its 2024 research. The study found that 91 percent of Americans would recycle their lithium batteries if it were as easy as throwing them away, but most responded that they do not know how or where.

"Our research told us exactly where the knowledge gaps are, so we built the quiz around them," said Karen Gay, Community Engagement Manager at Cirba Solutions. "We wanted it to feel less like a lecture and more like a safety challenge you want to share with your friends and family – a fun way to gain knowledge around something most of us do every day. If someone walks away knowing to charge their e-bike away from the front door, or to tape the terminals of a used battery before recycling it instead of tossing it in the trash, that's a win for their household and their community."

In 10 questions, the quiz covers the moments that matter most:

• Choosing a charger: why the right charger matters.
• Where to charge: the best spots for phones, laptops, e-bikes, e-scooters, etc.
• When to unplug: how long devices should stay on the charger.
• Warning signs: what to do if a battery gets hot or swells.
• Disposal: how to get rid of end-of-life batteries safely.
• Recycling know-how: what can be recycled and how American consumers stack up.

Each answer includes a short explanation of why it matters. At the end, users get a result ranging from "Champion Charger" to "Reset Required," plus a shareable card to post across multiple platforms and challenge friends and family.

The quiz expands on #BatterySmarts, Cirba Solutions' ongoing social media series in which employees answer common battery safety and recycling questions and brings those lessons together in one place for anyone to take and share. It's also the latest resource from SustainABILITY 10,000, the company's commitment to 10,000 hours of community engagement and education across North America, and supports the initiative's Digital Advocacy pillar, which focuses on online tools that any community can use.

Take the Battery Smarts Quiz here and follow #BatterySmarts on Cirba Solutions' LinkedIn for more battery safety tips.

About Cirba Solutions

Cirba Solutions is a premier battery recycling company in North America, focused on critical material extraction from scrap and end-of-life batteries, and then supplying those materials back into the supply chain. Cirba Solutions is the only vertically integrated team with an operational, differentiated platform and a full suite of capabilities. www.cirbasolutions.com.

SOURCE Cirba Solutions