Backed by the London Fire Brigade, the Lead the Charge campaign focuses on five key fire-risk items: electric toothbrushes, smartphones, e-scooter batteries, vapes and power tools.
Many of these common household products contains rechargeable lithium-ion batteries which, if damaged or overheated, can reach temperatures of up to 800 °C.
NLWA Chair Councillor Clyde Loakes commented: “Throwing electricals or batteries in general waste doesn’t just stop them from going into recycling – it creates a serious fire risk that puts our staff, vehicles and facilities in danger.
“This campaign will help us keep everybody safe, while also ensuring valuable metals and plastics are recycled into something new.”
Rising number of waste fires
NLWA has reported a rise in fires linked to incorrectly disposed e-waste – from six incidents in 2023 to 13 in 2024.
The authority said the increase is being driven largely by items such as vapes and other small electronics containing embedded batteries.
The Lead the Charge campaign aims to help residents understand both the safety risks and the recycling options available for old electricals.
Electrical waste can be taken to any of north London’s reuse and recycling centres, on-street e-waste banks or retailer collection points.
The campaign comes amid growing concern across the waste and resource management sector about battery-related fires, which have been described by industry bodies as reaching “epidemic levels”.
London Fire Brigade partnership
The London Fire Brigade, which is supporting the campaign, says lithium-ion battery fires are now a growing and resource-intensive problem across the capital.
Richard Field, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Prevention and Protection at the LFB, said: “Lithium-ion battery fires are a major risk and we are attending fires regularly involving waste in bin lorries. We’ve also attended significant fires at waste disposal sites across the capital, which we suspect are caused by lithium-ion batteries.
“These fires can be very time consuming for our firefighters and often require a high level of resources to extinguish. We’ve also seen the detrimental environmental and societal impact these fires can have on local communities.
“We urge people to check with the retailer or your local authority’s website for the safest way to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in your area and reduce the risk of fires occurring.”
These very issues will be at the heart of discussion at the Fire and Health & Safety Conference, taking place on 23 October 2025 at the Hallam Conference Centre in London. Bringing together regulators, operators, and safety experts, the event will explore case studies, prevention strategies, and the latest innovations to help the industry strengthen its resilience – secure your ticket here.
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