Carelessly discarded dead batteries are causing fires and sometimes exploding in garbage trucks and landfill sites.

Dead batteries thrown away with other waste and recycling, which have been labelled “zombie batteries”, are likely to be crushed or punctured once the waste is collected and processed.

Residents are urged to only recycle dead batteries using specialist battery recycling services, and to never throw batteries away alongside general rubbish or other recycling.

Cllr Danny Purton, portfolio holder for environment at Harlow Council, said: “We know that most people want to do the right thing with their waste but unfortunately a great many of the batteries thrown away in Harlow are not being recycled properly.

“Fires caused by carelessly discarded batteries endanger lives; cause costly damage and disrupt waste services. We urge all residents to please recycle batteries responsibly by taking them to their local recycling centre, major supermarkets or using the household collections available to them.”

Some battery types in particular, like lithium-ion (Li-ion) and nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH), can ignite or even explode when they’re damaged. Once this happens, the batteries can quickly set fire to other materials present in the waste, like paper, leading to serious incidents that put lives at risk.

Although safe to use normally, powerful lithium-ion batteries are typically the most dangerous if they are not recycled properly. These batteries are often found in products like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, radio-controlled toys, Bluetooth devices, shavers, electric toothbrushes, power tools, scooters and even e-cigarettes.

Harlow residents can recycle used batteries by removing them from devices and taking them to battery recycling collection points at their local Household Waste Recycling Centre or at major supermarkets.

Residents living in houses (not flats or communal properties) can also put them out for collection as long as they are presented in a separate small box or bag labelled ‘batteries’ and placed on top of or next to the black wheelie bin or purple bags. Batteries should never be mixed with other waste in any collection containers.

Mark Andrews, NFCC Waste Fires Lead and Assistant Chief Fire Officer of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Batteries in household waste and recycling can lead to large scale and protracted fires. These incidents are often very challenging for fire services to deal with and can cause significant disruption to communities.

“Many people may not realise the importance of the correct disposal of batteries so this simple advice can make a real difference in preventing waste fires”

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