The company confirmed that assessments of the site are still ongoing, but that the current estimate puts the cost of restoring the operation “in the region of £30 million”.
The Avonmouth MRF, which processes around 68,000 tonnes of dry mixed recycling a year, was severely affected by the fire on 15 July 2026.
The figure would represent a significant investment in the facility, which sorts dry mixed recycling from households and businesses, including paper, cans, plastic and card.
The incident has also renewed concerns over the growing number of lithium-ion batteries entering the waste stream, with Suez calling for greater separation of rechargeable devices and a deposit return scheme (DRS) for vapes.
Avonmouth MRF fire
The repairs follow a major fire which broke out in the early hours of 15 July.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service was called to the Suez facility at around 1.32am, with a major incident subsequently declared.
The major incident status was downgraded at 10.24am, suggesting that the most intense period of the fire lasted for approximately nine hours.
All personnel at the site were safely evacuated and there were no reported injuries.
Crews from across the region attended the incident, with firefighters from Avonmouth, Patchway, Southmead, Nailsea, Temple, Pill, Portishead, Kingswood, Chew Magna, Clevedon, Bedminster, Yate, Thornbury and Weston-super-Mare responding.
The risk of lithium-ion batteries
The incident was the latest in a series of fires affecting waste and recycling facilities, with batteries increasingly identified by the industry as a significant risk.
Material Focus reported more than 1,200 battery-related fires in refuse vehicles and waste facilities during 2023/24, a 71% increase on the previous year.
Suez Chief Operating Officer for operations and business development, John Wilkinson, said the changing nature of consumer electrical products was contributing to the issue.
Wilkinson commented: “The shift from replaceable batteries to rechargeable devices, combined with the rise of fast-tech, means devices with embedded lithium-ion batteries are now common place in our daily lives.
“With limited awareness of the risks posed when they are incorrectly discarded, it’s no surprise that we are seeing a rise in fires across our operations as these devices make their way into the waste stream.
He said the financial impact of incidents such as the Avonmouth fire was significant, but that the priority was the safety of frontline staff.
Wilkinson added: “Urgent action is needed to get lithium-ion batteries out of people’s general waste and mixed recycling, and into separate, designated streams so we can recycle them safely.”
The comments come as waste operators continue to report rechargeable electrical devices, particularly vapes, entering residual waste and recycling streams despite existing take-back arrangements.
Biffa reported that an estimated 480,000 vapes entered four of its busiest MRFs during June and July – its highest recorded figure.
Call for vape DRS
Wilkinson also backed a deposit return scheme (DRS) specifically for vapes as part of the solution.
He said Suez would like to see “a deposit return scheme for vapes and convenient, widely promoted recycling options for small, rechargeable electrical devices”.
Under a DRS, consumers would pay a refundable deposit when buying a product and receive the money back when the used item is returned through an appropriate collection point.
The Environmental Services Association (ESA) and Biffa have previously called for such a system for vapes, arguing that an existing network of collection and take-back points could be used to handle returned devices. Biffa has proposed a £5 refundable deposit to provide an incentive for consumers to return used vapes.
The proposal comes despite the existing legal requirements around vape take-back and the ban on single-use vapes.
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