In a joint letter sent this week to Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature, eight major organisations – including the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), East London Waste Authority (ELWA), West London Waste Authority (WLWA), Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA), London Energy, Veolia, Biffa and FCC Environment — called for urgent policy intervention to address what they describe as a “real and significant risk” to people, property and the environment.
Sharp rise in battery fires
The organisations pointed to a dramatic rise in battery-related fires at waste facilities across the capital.
According to the letter, there was a 53% increase in incidents between 2023 and 2024 at sites serving the NLWA, while ELWA reported a 57% rise over the same period. WRWA recorded eight fires in 2024/25 and has already logged ten incidents so far in 2025/26.
Nationally, figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council and Recycle Your Electricals show that 1,200 waste battery fires occurred in 2023 – a 71% increase on the previous year.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) issued a stark warning that batteries fires in the waste sector have reached “epidemic levels”.
Lithium-ion batteries, found in everything from smartphones and laptops to e-bikes and disposable vapes, pose a significant hazard when discarded incorrectly.
Once damaged or punctured, these batteries can ignite, causing fires in bin lorries, recycling centres and waste treatment plants.
The authorities said that the problem has intensified alongside the proliferation of cheap, low-quality electricals entering the UK market, often sold through online marketplaces.
Waste firms have also suggested that the single-use vape ban, which came into force in June 2025, may be fuelling a new hazard as vapes with remaining charge are more likely to be discarded.
‘Real financial burden’ to councils
The letter warned that the financial burden of tackling these fires – from infrastructure damage and emergency response costs to downtime at waste facilities – is becoming unsustainable.
Research by Eunomia and the ESA estimated that waste battery fires now cost the UK over £1 billion annually.
“Waste battery fires continue to have a real financial impact on struggling local authorities and the public purse,” the letter stated, adding that they also pose “a risk of physical harm to waste operatives and the general public” and “a detrimental environmental impact” through toxic fumes and contaminated firefighting water.
The NLWA and the London Fire Brigade launched a public awareness campaign to tackle the increasing number of fires caused by electricals at its waste facilities in October 2025, focused on five key fire-risk items: electric toothbrushes, smartphones, e-scooter batteries, vapes and power tools.
Stronger producer responsibility
The signatories have urged government to ensure that battery producers and importers share the costs of tackling the problem by:
- Introducing minimum product safety and durability standards for batteries and battery-powered items
- Enhancing producer responsibility schemes to fund better collection and recycling infrastructure, including kerbside battery and small electrical collections
- Strengthening enforcement at UK borders to prevent unsafe, non-compliant electrical goods entering the market
The letter also argued that existing regulations – such as the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) regulations – are no longer sufficient in the face of rapidly advancing technology and changing consumer behaviour.
“With the proliferation of, and advances in, electricals, these regulations have not worked sufficiently to create the right disposal behaviour among consumers,” the authorities wrote. “They must be enhanced.”
If this is costing up to £1 billion a year then should LA’s & Waste Mgmt companies look at what it might cost to provide a (monthly?) kerbside collection for small electricals across the UK? Surely an investment now, especially with LA’s getting EPR funding would payback many times over?