Fires sparked by wrongly discarded lithium batteries, such as those found in vapes, are hitting UK recycling centres hard, with new figures revealing more than 10 blazes a week. Experts are sounding the alarm, stating that the sheer volume of these battery fires has reached a crisis point, costing an estimated £1 billion annually and frustrating fire chiefs.
The Environment Services Association (ESA), representing waste management companies, shared figures showing its members reported 1,518 fires in the year to March 2026. Of these, at least 541 were directly attributed to lithium-ion batteries, with a further 216 battery fires occurring in bin lorries. The ESA believes the actual number of battery-related fires is higher, estimating that 40% of fires at recycling centres are caused by batteries, with the real figure potentially closer to 70%.
The annual cost of these fires has surged from £150 million in 2021 to £1 billion today. Fire chiefs are increasingly concerned by the rise in these types of blazes and the significant resources required to extinguish them. Dr Francesco Restuccia, a fire expert at King’s College London, explained that if a lithium battery's separator is pierced, often happening at recycling centres, it can cause internal short circuits, leading to a temperature increase until ignition.
The ESA is advocating for a £5 deposit scheme on all vape sales. This initiative aims to encourage users to return their used devices to retailers for safe disposal, preventing them from ending up in general waste streams where they pose a fire risk. Patrick Brighty, head of recycling policy at the ESA, highlighted that vapes are a major contributor due to their abundance and short lifespan, and that a single hidden battery can decimate a facility.