Battery fires rise across the Northern Rivers

BATTERY fires are rising across the Northern Rivers, with 26 incidents recorded in the past year caused by batteries in bins and waste trucks.

Even small batteries can ignite when crushed or overheated, placing waste workers, facilities and the wider community at risk.

The message from waste authorities is clear. Batteries should never be placed in household or commercial kerbside bins.

Free battery recycling options are available across the region.

B-cycle drop-off points are located at supermarkets and hardware stores, allowing residents to recycle loose handheld batteries weighing up to five kilograms.

Locations are listed at bcycle.com.au/drop-off.

Community Recycling Centres operate at eight council-run sites across the Northern Rivers and accept loose handheld batteries and car batteries up to 20 kilograms or 20 litres, along with other problem waste, at no cost. Information on locations is available at newaste.org.au/crc.

Items with embedded or built-in batteries must be disposed of intact and not dismantled.

These batteries are commonly found in products such as smart watches, bluetooth speakers, cordless vacuum cleaners, vapes and e-scooters.

As part of a free trial, embedded battery products can currently be dropped off at three Community Recycling Centres.

These sites are the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre on Wyrallah Road at East Lismore, the Kyogle Landfill Facility on Runnymede Road, and the Ballina Resource Recovery Centre on Southern Cross Drive.

With more battery-powered devices in homes, correct disposal is becoming increasingly important.

Using designated drop-off points instead of bins helps reduce the risk of fires, limits environmental harm and supports battery recycling.

The initiative forms part of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy and is funded through the waste levy.

More information on accepted items is available at newaste.org.au/batteries.

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