Council joins national fight against “zombie batteries” in bid to tackle recycling and waste fires

Cheshire West and Chester Council is supporting the new national ‘Take Charge’ campaign, which urges consumers to recycle dead batteries and to never throw batteries away alongside general rubbish.

Consumers across the UK are being urged to “join the fight against Zombie batteries” in a bid to tackle the growing number of fires caused by carelessly discarded dead batteries.

Dead batteries thrown away with other waste and recycling, which the campaign refers to as “zombie batteries”, are likely to be crushed or punctured once the waste is collected and processed.

Some battery types in particular, like lithium-ion (Li-ion) and nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH), can ignite or even explode when they’re damaged. Once this happens, the batteries can quickly set fire to other materials present in the waste, like paper, leading to serious incidents that put lives at risk.

Although safe to use normally, powerful lithium-ion batteries are typically the most dangerous if they are not recycled properly. These batteries are often found in products like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, radio-controlled toys, bluetooth devices, shavers, electric toothbrushes, power tools, scooters and even e-cigarettes.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “Many people may not be aware of the potential risks from discarded dead batteries.  Our residents can recycle batteries using their kerbside collection service.  All you need to do is put them in a separate container beside your recycling bins on collection day.  Batteries can also be recycled at the HWRCs.  Please play your part and never throw dead batteries into your general rubbish bin.”

The recycling and waste management trade body, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), which launched the campaign, conducts an annual survey of its members to record the proportion of fires occurring at recycling and waste facilities that are known or thought to have been started by lithium-ion batteries in particular.

Recent data collected by the ESA shows that, between April 2019 and March 2020, lithium-ion batteries alone were thought to be responsible for more than 250 fires at its members’ facilities during the year – or well over a third (38%) of all fires.

Members of the ESA hope that by encouraging the public to recycle batteries responsibly, it will reduce the number of “zombie batteries” present in general waste and recycling, thereby reducing the number of fires in future.

Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), Jacob Hayler added: “Unfortunately, the majority of batteries thrown away in the UK at the moment are not recycled properly. Fires caused by carelessly discarded batteries endanger lives; cause millions of pounds of damage and disrupt waste services. We urge consumers to please recycle batteries responsibly by using widely available local battery recycling services.” 

Consumers can find out more about the dangers of Zombie Batteries, by visiting the campaign website at: 

www.takecharge.org.uk

The Take Charge+ Campaign was established in October 2020 and is managed by the Environmental Services Association (ESA). It is sponsored by the ESA and the battery compliance scheme:

European Recycling Platform (ERP).

To find out more about the Take Charge campaign, and see a full list of supporters, please visit:

www.takecharge.org.uk