CEMEX is supporting our Climafuel suppliers by raising awareness of the Take Charge campaign aiming to tackle the serious problem of recycling and waste fires caused by carelessly discarded “zombie batteries”.

Did you know, fires caused by batteries are one of the biggest risks faced by recycling companies?

The campaign urges consumers across the UK to recycle batteries responsibly by using specialist battery and electrical device recycling services, and reminds the public to never throw batteries away alongside general rubbish or other recycling by highlighting the fire risk.

Dead batteries thrown away with other waste and recycling are likely to be crushed or punctured once the waste is collected and processed. Some battery types can ignite or even explode when they’re damaged in waste collection and treatment processes. Once this happens, the batteries can set fire to other materials present in the waste like paper and card, leading to serious incidents that can put lives at risk and take days to extinguish.

Although safe to use normally, lithium-ion batteries are particularly prone to causing fires or explosions if they are not recycled properly. These batteries are most commonly found in products like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, radio-controlled toys, Bluetooth devices, shavers, electric toothbrushes, power tools, scooters and even e-cigarettes.

The following link shows some video footage of fires caused by batteries:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnVIBXNw7Fc&t=32s

For further Take Charge campaign information click here.

We have shared a poster in the download section of the UK News website: Zombie Battery poster (1025 downloads) Please display on your workplace notice boards.