Dangers in rubbish: Part 1/4

High fire risk from improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries

They are found in power tools, garden equipment, toys, toothbrushes, e-bikes, tablets, mobile phones, and much more. Lithium-ion batteries have become an indispensable part of everyday life. But as their numbers continue to rise, problems with disposal are also becoming increasingly common.

If lithium-ion batteries are not disposed of properly, the fire risk is very high. Disposal in the regular trash can cause damage to the batteries during compaction in the garbage truck. Contact with oxygen triggers a dangerous chain reaction. The batteries start to burn very hot, chamber by chamber, sometimes even underwater. If a battery ignites in a garbage truck, the rest of the load also starts burning and sometimes must be dumped in public spaces, which in turn triggers a fire brigade intervention.

Lithium-ion batteries should not go into other trash bins either. To minimize the fire risk and to recover the valuable materials contained in the batteries (lithium, zinc, and cobalt), they must be disposed of correctly. This can be done via collection boxes in stores, mobile hazardous waste collection, or at FES recycling centers, where there are special containers for batteries and accumulators.

Dirk Remmert, Managing Director of FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH, says: “Currently, almost every day in Frankfurt, there is a fire in a disposal vehicle or facility. Lithium-ion batteries pose a risk to employee health and cause significant property damage. Therefore, my appeal to citizens: dispose of batteries correctly.”

Most fires in 2024 were already extinguished shortly after they started by FES staff themselves. However, in November last year, there was a fire at the Frankfurt waste-to-energy plant (MHKW), where the fire brigade was in action for several hours. A load on a parked disposal vehicle had caught fire.

In FES's paper sorting facility, a multi-million euro damage occurred in 2022, probably due to an improperly disposed lithium-ion battery that ignited, causing burning paper to spread over the conveyor belts into the sorting drum and other parts of the facility. The plant could only be restarted in 2023.

“The battery collection rate in 2023 was just over 50 percent. That means every second battery is not disposed of properly after use. Significantly increasing this rate must be a top priority for ecological and safety reasons,” adds FES Managing Director Dirk Remmert.