The incident was first reported at 7:56am this morning (26 August 2026) and caused the closure of the site.
The fire has subsequently been extinguished and operations at the site have resumed.
Stephen Atkinson, Regional Manager at Suez in the UK, said: “At approximately 7.55am today, a fire was reported at the North Tyneside Waste Transfer Station. The site was immediately evacuated, and our trained team took initial action to contain the fire before Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) arrived and took control of the incident, with all employees, contractors and visitors accounted for safely and without injury.
“The fire was brought under control, with minimal damage to the facility and disruption to services. Normal operations resumed later in the morning.
“We would like to thank the TWFRS for their swift response and our site colleagues for acting quickly and safely. The cause of the fire will be investigated once it is safe to do so.”
In a Facebook post, North Tyneside Council confirmed that the site had reopened and that those who had missed appointments could attend the site with their original permit in the coming days.
The post said: “If you had an appointment this morning that you weren’t able to make, don’t worry about getting an updated permit.
“Just come along with your existing permit at a time that suits you either today, or over the next few days.”
The last few weeks have seen fires rage across the sector, with a major fire in London causing train cancellations and a “protracted” response from the London Fire Brigade.
Last month, Suez’s Avonmouth Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) was hit by a significant fire which burned for at least nine hours.
Avon Fire and Rescue confirmed that all personnel at the site were safely evacuated and there are currently no reported injuries.
While none of these fires have had their causes confirmed, the industry has faced a major increase in battery-related fires in recent years.
Batteries – including those in vapes and other items – present a severe fire risk when they are crushed or otherwise improperly managed and should be disposed of via specialist battery bins, which can be found in supermarkets.
Material Focus reported that more than 1,200 battery-related fires broke out in refuse vehicles and waste facilities during 2023/24 – a 71% increase on the previous year. This number is likely now much higher.
Last year, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) described the problem as “epidemic”. It is estimated that these incidents now cost the UK over £1 billion annually, threatening not only vital infrastructure but also the lives of frontline workers tasked with managing the nation’s waste.
I don’t know the metric used to count the number of battery fires quoted here (size of fire perhaps?). I work at a waste recycling facility and battery fires occur several times a week – they are usually very small and a state-of-the-art heat detection system catches them, alerts site staff and activates water cannons but they have been known to grow and become less manageable. The number of fires has increased in the past few years but in 23/24 it would have been at least 2 or 3 times a week at just 1 site. Multiply this by the number of public amenity sites and large commercial recycling sites in the UK and you get far more than the 1200 cited above which might approximately equate to 1 per site per year.