Lithium-Ion Batteries Responsible for More than 1,000 Fires Across Australia in 2023

Lithium-ion batteries are an obvious hazard for waste and recycling streams, causing fires in trucks and facilities. For Australia, 2023 saw an alarming amount of such fires.

According to Australian authorities and fire services, lithium-ion batteries sparked more than 1,000 fires throughout the continent last year.

"What we can't deal with is hazardous items that are creating a risk — that are going to burst into flames, that are going to hurt one of our workers, that are going to hurt our equipment,” Re.Group chief development officer Garth Lamb.

"Our facilities, our trucks are catching on fire, not to mention the risk to our people. It's a massive issue for our sector."

Lamb is encouraging people in the area to use the Recycle Mate app to find areas where they can safely dispose of batteries. Lamb also stresses lawmakers to look at the success of batter deposit containers and encourages proper battery disposal, hoping to lower the number of fires caused by them.

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