The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and Material Focus launched the public safety film "Stop Battery Fires" on 11 July 2023, made available for local authorities to share1. Material Focus also called on local authorities to take part in the 2023 "Stop Battery Fires Survey", which it says will assess the scale and impact of battery fires across the UK1.
A survey by Material Focus among local authorities last year identified over 700 battery fires in the waste and recycling system across the UK1. The NFCC states that batteries hidden in electricals caused over 700 fires in 2022 when crushed in recycling centres, bins and recycling lorries2. More than 60 local authorities answered last year's survey, and the results were used in over 400 pieces of media coverage including BBC national and local radio stations1. The 2023 survey will take 5 minutes to complete, and results will be anonymised so answers are not attributed to any specific local authority1.
The film carries a safety message from Mark Andrews, NFCC waste fires lead, and emphasises the dangers of throwing away batteries and the importance of never binning and always recycling batteries and electricals containing batteries1. It was made for local authorities to share so residents understand how to dispose of batteries and electricals properly, with the aim of reducing battery fires in bin lorries and at waste and recycling centres1. A copy can be downloaded in Material Focus's battery fire comms toolkit, which also includes social media templates and other assets1. The NFCC describes unwanted electricals as the fastest growing waste stream in the world and the UK, and says anything with a plug, battery or cable can be reused or recycled2.
"We need householders to play their part in reducing these fires which can have a devastating impact on local communities and their environment. They can pose a real risk to staff working in waste and recycling centres."
Why it matters for households
The campaign concerns batteries and electricals containing hidden batteries that are put in household bins rather than recycled. The NFCC says such items can cause fires when they enter the waste stream, posing a risk to workers in waste and recycling centres and leading to challenging incidents for fire and rescue services2. Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said people should search Recycle Your Electricals and enter their postcode to find their nearest recycling points1. The NFCC links to a Recycling Locator for finding nearby recycling points, and its communications toolkits are available in English and Welsh2. Recycle your electricals is run by Material Focus, an independent not-for-profit organisation which aims to stop electricals being hoarded or thrown away and ensure they are recycled instead2.
What happens next
Local authorities interested in the 2023 survey, or in providing case studies of their experience of battery fires, are asked to contact Material Focus by emailing hello@materialfocus.org.uk1. The NFCC's home emergencies hub and UK preparedness hub cover wider household emergency planning, and its guide to kitchen fires covers cooking safety and prevention.
