Battery fires from discarded electronics on the rise, UK study warns

Used smartphone batteries on a tarp in Nhat Tao market, the largest informal recycling market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The steep rise in the number of portable electrical items containing lithium-ion batteries being bought and used by the public was leading to an increased risk of fires, with a new study indicating that 1.6 billion batteries were thrown away last year, including 1.1 billion containing lithium-ion batteries. — AP

LONDON: British fire chiefs and recycling campaigners have warned that fires caused by discarded batteries in electricals are on the rise, causing damage and spikes in air pollution levels.

According to a study by Material Focus, which leads the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, battery fires in bin lorries and at waste sites have risen by more than 70% since 2022, with more than 1,200 estimated to have occurred last year.