Stop the Fires – Dispose of Batteries in the Right Place

More and more fires are caused by lithium batteries being thrown in the trash and self-igniting. To reduce the fire risk, more places should ban batteries in single-use items, but even now, everyone can contribute to a safer society by sorting waste correctly.

More and more things today are powered by batteries. Lithium batteries, in particular, are increasing the fastest—they are small, can store a lot of energy, and are easy to build into various gadgets.

But lithium batteries have a huge downside; if handled carelessly, they can self-ignite. The risk is that if the batteries are crushed, exposed to heat, or short-circuited in damp environments.

That’s exactly what can happen at waste facilities if they are thrown into the wrong bin. A single battery that self-ignites among plastic packaging, paper, or combustible household waste can quickly cause a fire with several serious consequences.

First and foremost, it’s dangerous. Our employees are trained to detect and handle fires, but they should not have to be exposed to such danger. The smoke from the fire affects everyone living in the area.

The fires also destroy facilities, valuable equipment, and large amounts of waste that would otherwise have been recycled. Whether private companies or municipal operations are affected, it costs a lot of money. Often, the entire or part of the bill ends up with the taxpayers.

When you put discarded electronics with built-in batteries in the bin for electronic waste, they are handled at special waste facilities. These are specially equipped with the risk of battery ignition in mind, unlike other facilities.

There are several reasons why lithium batteries end up in the wrong waste streams. Many people are not aware of the risks of improper sorting. Here, both waste management companies and municipalities have a major job in spreading information.

But all too often, the batteries are built into single-use gadgets intended to be thrown away as soon as they’ve been used. Think, for example, of disposable vapes, i.e., e-cigarettes. How often do you think they end up in the electronic waste bin at the recycling center where they belong?

France and Belgium have already banned disposable vapes due to the fire risk. Sweden’s government should follow their example as soon as possible and simultaneously ban other single-use gadgets with hidden batteries.

We at Ragn-Sells take our responsibility to reduce the fire risk seriously. Now we’re asking you to help:

• Always throw away old battery-powered items in the electronic waste bin. Think carefully: Could there be a battery inside even if it’s not visible?
• Talk to others. No one wants to accidentally cause a fire! The more people who know the risks of improperly sorted lithium batteries, the safer our society becomes.
• Avoid battery-powered single-use gadgets. Besides disposable vapes, flashing party gadgets and greeting cards with lights and sounds are common culprits.

If we are serious about building a sustainable society, we must reuse the raw materials we already have—over and over again. Recycling facilities cannot afford to burn down because lithium batteries ended up in the wrong bag on the way to sorting. Thank you for helping!

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