Worcestershire residents urged to help prevent battery fires

Residents across Worcestershire are being asked to help prevent dangerous fires by keeping batteries out of household bins and recycling them separately.

Even a single battery can be damaged during collection, processing or disposal, potentially causing fires in bin lorries, Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) and waste facilities.

The message is simple: Batteries cause fires. Fires cause danger. You can stop them. Recycle batteries separately, never in your household bins

Many residents are unaware that batteries are hidden inside everyday items such as toys, power banks, vapes, wireless headphones, greeting cards and electronic gadgets.

When thrown into general waste, these batteries can become crushed or punctured, increasing the risk of fire.

Battery-related fires pose a risk to collection crews, recycling centre staff, residents and local communities.

Raising awareness of the dangers and helping residents understand how and where to recycle batteries safely can play an important role in preventing future incidents.

Residents can recycle batteries at all Worcestershire Household Recycling Centres, supermarket collection points and participating retailers.

Used batteries can be stored safely at home in a dedicated container until they can be recycled, while lithium-ion batteries should have their terminals taped before disposal to help reduce fire risk.

To help make battery recycling a habit, residents are encouraged to keep a simple "battery jar" at home, providing a convenient place to store used batteries until they can be taken for recycling.

Residents are reminded to:

• never put batteries in household rubbish or recycling bins
• recycle batteries at supermarket collection points, retailers or any Worcestershire Household Recycling Centre
• check household items for hidden batteries before disposal
• store used batteries safely until they can be recycled
• tape the terminals of lithium-ion batteries before taking them for recycling

For more information about battery recycling and where batteries can be safely disposed of, visit the Let's Waste Less website.