A New Zealand judge has sanctioned an Auckland recycling operation, following a lithium-ion battery fire two years ago. The New Zealand Herald advises the incident followed, “the ignition of a lithium-ion battery within a large scrap metal stockpile”. This is the first report of a recycler being found guilty of a battery fire paying a fine, as far as we know.
Battery Fires Were Already a ‘Hot Topic’ in Auckland
A New Zealand $30,000 fine sounds a bit steep for what may have been a first offender. Perhaps, though, the judge wanted to send a message following a major fire at another local recycling facility.
That latter incident, which happened a few days before the imposition of the fine, also involved lithium-ion batteries. It “released toxic smoke across large parts of Auckland” according to reports. This would have had an impact on what the news channel refers to as, “a growing national and international issue surrounding battery disposal and fire risk”.
However, the actual incident that lead to the New Zealand $30,000 fine, occurred back in July 2023, when it also sent a plume of toxic smoke across the city too. We could perhaps argue that fining the recycler guilty of a battery fire was unfair, given that the recycling chain involves several parties.
The Duty to Recycle Begins With the User
A New Zealand fire and emergency communication manager, encourages commerce and consumers to send lithium-ion batteries for recycling as follows:
- Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the rubbish, even if they are exhausted.
- Take them to battery-collection point, or transfer station for recycling instead.
- Package spent batteries so their terminals cannot connect and start a fire.
The Judge Sent a Message to The Battery World
However, the judge did concede that recyclers face unique challenges. He mentioned the lack of technology available to detect batteries in piles of scrap metals. This, he continues, was “a new and emerging issue” leading to fires across the world.
More Information
Timely Reminder to Recycle All Batteries
