Cumbria County Council joins national fight against ‘Zombie Batteries’ in bid to tackle recycling and waste fires
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.
Cumbria County Council supports the new national Take Charge campaign, which urges consumers to only recycle dead batteries using specialist battery recycling services, and to never throw batteries away alongside general rubbish or other recycling.
Cumbrian residents can take their dead batteries for recycling to the recycling points in local shops, or to any of the county’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres. Most shops that sell batteries have a battery recycling point and it means your batteries will be recycled responsibly.
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 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 said:
“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.”
Cumbria County Council Cabinet Member for Environment Councillor Celia Tibble said:
“I am very pleased to support the ESA’s campaign and I urge residents of Cumbria to recycle their used batteries responsibly. Not only will this avoid damage and disruption to our vital waste services, it will also ensure more of Cumbria’s valuable resources go for recycling.”
Consumers can find out more about the dangers of Zombie Batteries, by visiting the campaign website at www.takecharge.org.uk
