A growing number of alarmed citizens are wondering are lithium-ion batteries safe, given the increasing number of fires. However, these incidents could be just the tip of the ‘iceberg’. That’s because the danger is expanding in recycling plants too, if news from Australia is anything to go by. We investigate, and find this is indeed the case ‘down under’.
Lithium-Ion Battery Recyclers Do Not Feel Safe
Australian garbage recycling plants reported more than 1,000 lithium-ion-related battery fires over the past twelve months, according to ABC News. Workers are complaining about the number of batteries they have to intercept, that should not be there in the first place.
“It’s annoying when someone puts stuff that should have gone in their rubbish into the recycling. But we can deal with that,” the chief development officer at a leading recycler says.
“What we can’t deal with is hazardous items that are creating a risk. That are going to burst into flames. That are going to hurt one of our workers, that are going to hurt our equipment.”
Clearly a situation like this cannot cannot keep recurring. The Australian Environment Minister is calling for new ‘stewardship’ legislation to control this. It seems we need a culture that keeps lithium-ion batteries safe throughout their life cycle.
Reading Between the Lines, What Is Going On?
Items containing lithium-ion batteries are increasingly appearing in household garbage in Australia. These items include smartphones, airpods, disposable vapes, cordless power tools and vacuum cleaners, and e-mobility devices. Australian Consumer Commission confirms how commonplace these are becoming.
Such items do not belong in household garbage, ABC News is quick to point out. They are causing an average three fires a day at Australian waste and recycling facilities. It seems evident that the only way to keep lithium-ion batteries safe, is for all of us to treat them with care.
“You look at a pile of 60 tonnes of material on the floor, you know that there’s a handful of batteries in there somewhere,” one recycling official complains. “You know that there’s going to be dozens of vapes in that pile somewhere,” he adds.
“What you don’t know is whether they’re going to get through the facility without being cracked. And, if they do get cracked then they can go up in flames. If it happens, where there’s lots of other material, then we can have a big, big problem with fire.”
More Information
Careless Battery Fire Disrupts Recycling
