Roadshow goes on tour to stop battery fires

A roadshow is to tour east London boroughs in a battery safety campaign, after an increase in bin lorry and rubbish dump fires.

Items containing batteries and loose batteries thrown in household bins can ignite when they are crushed in waste processing plants and should instead be placed in dedicated recycling points..

East London Waste Authority (ELWA) said this was an increasing concern for waste and recycling operators, with 350 such fires sites in east London last year - a 52% increase on the previous year.

A giant, interactive installation as well as costume characters will visit parks, community centres and other public places this week to raise awareness of battery disposal safety.

The waste authority, which operates in the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge, said it was especially concerned about "hidden" lithium-ion batteries, which are found in everyday items such as vapes, headphones, toys, electric toothbrushes, phones and e-scooters.

These can become damaged when placed in household bins, potentially causing fires when crushed during collection or processing.

Following research, ELWA estimates as many as 48 million batteries and small electrical items were wrongly thrown in household bins in the capital last year.

Polling firm Censuswide found that 57% of the 1,000 east London residents interviewed disposed of at least one small electrical item in their household rubbish over the past 12 months, despite many containing hidden lithium-ion batteries.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was fighting fires involving bin lorries across London on a weekly basis.

It has also attended several large-scale fires at waste disposal sites across the capital in recent months and years.

Richard Field, LFB's deputy assistant commissioner said: "Our crews see first-hand the dangers and risks that incorrectly disposed of batteries can have.

"We continue to be called out to fires involving waste collection vehicles; some of which can take a considerable amount of time to resolve and often results in waste temporarily piled high in residential streets."

Councillor Jo Blackman, chair of ELWA said: "We want to help people spot the hidden batteries in everyday items, understand why it matters to dispose of them correctly...

"A small change at home can make a big difference to the safety of frontline staff."

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