Lithium battery safe disposal appeal

Published Monday, 16th October 2023

Residents of Hartlepool are being urged not to dispose of lithium batteries in their household bins to minimise the risk of them igniting and causing fires.

Hartlepool Borough Council says people should either speak to the outlet that sold a used item about them taking it back for recycling or take batteries directly to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Burn Road for disposal free of charge.  Residents can book a visit to the Household Waste Recycling Centre at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/HWRCbookings

The batteries which are often rechargeable, are most commonly found in devices such as mobile phones, laptops and vapes, but they are also used widely in toys and even musical greetings cards.

The safety alert has been issued by the Council following a series of incidents around the UK where lithium batteries have exploded and caught fire.

Paul Hurwood, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Environmental Services Manager, said: “This seems to be an increasingly common problem and it is probably due to the increasing numbers of lithium batteries finding their way into the waste stream.

“When the batteries are crushed, compacted or smashed they can explode and ignite, and if they get wet they can short-circuit with similar results.

“If the batteries are surrounded by other flammable waste in the back of a refuse wagon then the consequences can be very serious indeed, given that the vehicles are operating around domestic properties, businesses and schools.

“We have had a series of near-misses with three vehicle fires in the past year or so. Fortunately, in these cases the refuse crews involved spotted the danger promptly, called the fire brigade, and ejected the loads, so there was no damage to the vehicles or risk to the public.