Improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries is a leading cause of fires.
Fire officials are warning the public that disposing of everyday items containing these batteries in trash and recycling bins is becoming a national crisis.
What's happening?
As the BBC reported, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned about the dangers of incorrectly placing battery-operated items in recycling bins.
In one community, the department cited nearly 85 tons (94 metric tons) of improperly discarded electrical equipment causing 46 fires at a garbage sorting site, plus five garbage truck fires. The dangers arise when waste companies collect household waste bins containing batteries and compact the waste, crushing lithium-ion batteries.
Fire officials said these fires are preventable and divert resources from other unavoidable emergencies.
“They can catch fire immediately due to the chemicals in them,” the department's assistant district commander, David Burland, told the BBC.
Why are lithium-ion battery fires so serious?
Lithium-ion batteries are widespread these days, powering everything from vape pens to cell phones and power tools. Although small, these energetic, powerful batteries can cause fires while emitting gas and shrapnel when they explode.
However, these types of batteries are crucial for the clean energy transition because they enable energy storage from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. Lithium-ion batteries are also used in electric vehicles and grid-scale battery storage systems, essential for reducing transportation pollution and making renewable energy a reliable 24/7 solution.
However, fires caused by lithium-ion batteries endanger people and property, and people have died as a result of catastrophic battery failures.
What is being done to prevent battery fires?
West Yorkshire Fire Brigade, together with the council and local waste management company, launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of disposing of batteries. The company has also advised against purchasing cheap battery kits online that do not meet government safety regulations and testing requirements.
Innovators have also been working on new ways to recycle lithium-ion batteries to reuse their valuable materials and rechargeable batteries that can replace 1,000 disposable batteries.
You can do your part as an individual by learning more about this critical climate issue and setting a good example for your community by recycling batteries.
For example, you can often find supermarkets and libraries with special recycling boxes for used batteries. There are reputable battery recycling programs, such as Call2Recycle, that partner with major retailers to collect batteries and provide convenient drop-off locations. There is also an option to send used batteries if that is more convenient.
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