Lithium-Ion Batteries Spark 12,000 Fire Hazards a Year in Australia’s Waste Facilities

The aftermath of the UPS plane which was destroyed by lithium ion battery fire in Dubai on Sept. 5, 2010. (Courtesy of the National Transport Safety Board)

Australia’s waste and recycling facilities are facing up to 12,000 battery-related fires annually, costing businesses an extra $400,000 (US$266,726) on average.

These alarming statistics have prompted calls from the waste and recycling sector to address the issue at the Environment Ministers meeting on June 21.

The meeting, attended by federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek and her state counterparts, aims to tackle growing concerns surrounding lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries have been touted as an integral part of Australia’s transition to a net zero future, with the batteries widely incorporated in numerous items, from smartphones and watches to laptops, e-scooters, and electric vehicles.

Survey Findings

According to a June survey by the waste and recycling sector, discarded lithium-ion batteries have sparked 3,115 fires in the past year alone, averaging 5.5 fires per facility.

The survey covered 576 waste and resource recovery collection and processing facilities, representing around a quarter of all such facilities in Australia.

This indicated that these fires also represented around one-quarter of all the annual battery-related fires in the sector.

“In other words, an estimate of around 12,000 fires per year,” the survey noted.

The report estimated that these fires had incurred costs averaging over $400,000 annually per business. Damage, rebuilding, and replacement costs were the highest (around $174,000), followed by insurance ($114,000) and clean-up costs ($95,000).

Insurance premiums have also skyrocketed due to battery fires, with the peak bodies saying it is “increasingly impossible” for the industry to insure trucks and facilities.

“This crisis threatens our operations and underscores the urgent need for supply chain-wide measures and industry support,” said the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) and the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association, which authorised the survey.

“There are no comprehensively accessible ‘safe disposal’ options for many items with loose and embedded batteries.

“With over 10,000 fires per year across Australia’s waste and recycling systems, our sectors cannot afford to wait.”

Industry ‘Seeing Fires on a Daily Basis’

The concern was also raised by Gayle Sloan, CEO of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR).

She described the situation as a crisis, noting that the industry is “seeing fires on a daily basis” in their waste collection vehicles and facilities, putting workers and infrastructure at risk.

While acknowledging that the government’s national strategy addressing battery design through to end-of-life issues takes time, Ms. Sloan emphasised the need for urgent action at collection points in all states.

“The nation’s environment ministers must deliver immediate action to provide a safe disposal solution for all batteries,” Ms. Sloan said in a statement on June 20.

“The reality is that all items with batteries must have a separate safe disposal pathway to get them out of kerbside bins, trucks, and facilities that are not designed to collect these potentially incendiary devices.”

Ms. Sloan said ministers needed to ensure funding that would provide a safe collection of the batteries.

“Our industry is fast approaching a time when we will not be able to ensure our trucks and facilities, which will mean services to the community will be in doubt—and this is not something we say lightly,” she said.

“It is not a question of funding, it is a question of will, given the WARR industry contributes over $2 billion (US$1.3 billion) annually to state governments through waste levies alone.

“What we want to know from ministers is why are our essential workers not entitled to be safe at work?”

Ms. Sloan said community education around the dangers of the batteries also needed to be urgently addressed.

Risk Of Burns, Chemical Exposure, Death

When lithium-ion batteries catch fire, many hazardous gases are released, including highly toxic hydrogen fluoride.

Hydrogen fluoride gas poisoning destroys skin and bone tissue and can cause permanent injury and death.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has warned of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, labelling the risk of injury rare but deadly.

“We are concerned by increasing reports of lithium-ion battery fires resulting in property damage and serious injuries, including burns, chemical exposure, and smoke inhalation,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said in a statement in October 2023.

According to the ACCC, one Australian so far has been killed by a lithium-ion battery fire, while the government organisation received 231 product safety reports in the five years leading up to 2023.

The ACCC said the batteries are “integral” to Australia achieving its net zero target but noted that management is a complex issue.

Simple actions like mixing and matching chargers, leaving devices charging too long, or having the batteries near combustible items like soft furnishings can all escalate fire risks.

Improper recycling costs the nation between $600 million and $3.1 billion a year in valuable materials that could be salvaged from correctly discarded items.

A survey in 2o23 found almost 40 percent of Australians do not know how to properly dispose of lithium batteries.

Lithium battery volumes are expected to increase from 32,000 tonnes to more than 100,000 tonnes in the next decade due to the proliferation of electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices reaching the end of their lives.