Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: A Growing Threat Hidden in Everyday Items

Earlier this month (14th October 2025), a fire broke out at Coastal Recycling’s Recycling Facility in Torrington, caused by a discarded lithium-ion battery. The blaze escalated within seconds, fuelled by surrounding waste, and could have destroyed the entire building had it not been for the heat-resistant concrete bunkers used to store recyclables. Thankfully, no one was injured.

We’re sharing this now because these types of fires are becoming all too common across the UK, and many are caused by items we use every day: electric toothbrushes, smartphones, e-scooter batteries, vapes, and power tools. It’s time to raise awareness about the dangers of improper battery disposal as not only does it put pressure on our fire service. It also costs waste management companies hundreds of thousands of pounds in remedial works, but more importantly, puts employees and emergency services personnel at a serious and life-threatening risk.

Lithium-ion battery fires are now a daily reality for UK fire services. The London Fire Brigade alone responded to over 130 battery-related fires in 2024, and incidents are rising nationwide. These fires often start in waste trucks, recycling centres, or even homes, triggered when batteries are crushed, punctured, or exposed to heat.

The North London Waste Authority’s 2025 ‘Lead the Charge’ campaign identifies five high-risk items:

• Electric toothbrushes: Frequently tossed into bathroom bins, where they’re crushed during collection.
• Smartphones: Damaged or overheated batteries are a leading cause of domestic fires.
• E-scooter batteries: Fires from charging mishaps or faulty batteries have doubled in two years.
• Vapes: Small but volatile, especially when disposed of in general waste.
• Power tools: Batteries left in tools during disposal are a major risk at recycling centres.

These items are often discarded incorrectly, ending up in household bins or mixed recycling. Once inside waste systems, they can ignite fires reaching 800°C

The fire at our Torrington site began within 30 seconds of a battery sparking. Surrounded by domestic plastics recycling, it quickly became too intense for our operatives to tackle. We were extremely fortunate that the site is a former In-Vessel Composting facility, allowing us to store recyclables in heat-resistant concrete tunnels. Had it been a standard open Transfer Station like those used by over 99% of UK waste processors, the entire building would likely have burned down.

As waste processors, our work is fundamental to public health, resource conservation, and reducing the UK’s carbon footprint. But we need the public’s help to keep our facilities – and our people safe.

Preventing these fires starts with awareness:

• Never bin batteries: Use battery/vape drop-off points at shops, supermarkets, recycling centres – or check if your council offers kerbside collection.
• Make council collected batteries visible: If your council does provide a kerbside collection service, make sure the batteries are clearly visible to the recycling collection operatives so they can make sure they are held separately from the rest of the recycling.
• Remove batteries before recycling devices: If you are able, please remove. If unsure how, ask your local recycling centre for help.
• Spread the word: Share this info with friends, family, and colleagues – especially those who use vapes, e-scooters, or power tools regularly.

It only takes one battery to start a fire. Please think before you throw.

Thanks to Breaktime News for covering this important topic. Read the article >>