Fires caused by batteries in waste have gone up by 71% in the UK since 2022, as the rise of disposable vapes and other portable battery-powered devices leads to more lithium-ion batteries ending up in the bin.
An increase in the number of these devices being thrown in household rubbish bins has led to more than 1,200 fires in the waste system in the past 12 months, compared with 700 in 2022, according to research conducted by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the campaign group Recycle Your Electricals.
Phil Clark, from the NFCC, said: “Fires involving the incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries are a disaster waiting to happen. Fire services are seeing an increasing number of incidents, but they are preventable by correctly and carefully disposing of electricals.”
More and more everyday items such as wireless headphones, laptops, electric toothbrushes and disposable vapes contain lithium batteries. These batteries can become crushed or damaged in bin lorries or waste sites if they are not recycled and can lead to fires at waste centres and in bin lorries across the UK.
When crushed or damaged, batteries can be dangerous to the public, waste operators and firefighters as they cause fires that are especially challenging to tackle. They can create their own oxygen, which means they can keep reigniting, prolonging incidents.
Scott Butler, the executive director of Recycle Your Electricals, has asked the public to consider the consequences of binning electricals and batteries given that these destructive and costly fires can be easily avoided.
He said: “With more and more products containing lithium-ion batteries, and battery fires on the rise, it’s vital that we stop these fires and reduce the air pollution impact that they have on our local communities and the dangers they present to firefighters and waste officers.
“We are also throwing away some of the most precious materials on the planet, which are vital to our economy. We are calling on everyone to make sure that they never bin and always recycle their electricals and their batteries. Just search Recycle Your Electricals to find your nearest drop-off point.”
