Battery Fires From Discarded Electronics Are Increasing, Warn Firefighters

Firefighters and campaigners are warning that discarded lithium-ion batteries in electronics are increasingly prevalent and causing fires. According to a study, battery fires in bin lorries and at waste sites in the UK have reached an all-time high, rising by more than 70 percent since 2022, with more than 1,200 estimated to have occurred last year. Batteries hidden in electronics trigger fires when crushed in recycling centres, bins, and collection vehicles The study by Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to reducing electronic waste, said that 1.6 billion batteries were discarded in the last year. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in devices such as laptops, phones, tablets, earbuds, and vapes....