An exploding lithium-ion battery caused this house fire in Wanaka last year. Photo / Chris Adam
An exploding lithium-ion battery caused this house fire in Wanaka last year. Photo / Chris Adam
A refund scheme for batteries is being touted as one way to fight fire risks and pollution.
Lithium-ion batteries have been linked to fires in scrap yards and rubbish trucks, including when discarded devices were crushed and exploded.
In Auckland, the batteries were suspected to have caused 15 recycling truckfires since 2019.
Parul Sood, Auckland Council Waste Solutions general manager, said improperly discarded lithium-ion batteries presented safety risks to workers and financial risks to ratepayers.
Fires in trucks also created environmental hazards, she said.
People could potentially be reimbursed for depositing batteries, as happened with bottle returns in some states and countries.
"We might hear more about it towards the end of the year, in terms of what it might look like."
Discussions were also happening with central government about a regulated products stewardship scheme.
Sood said ideally, manufacturers would provide safe recycling facilities.
But with so many products in New Zealand made overseas, that wasn't always practical.
Sood said consumers also had an obligation to consider how to safely discard products.
Where possible, people could take batteries to recycling depots or recycling depots which specifically accepted batteries and e-waste, or talk to local councils.
"Bunnings has set up a recycling project, which is great," Sood added.
Another fire in a waste management truck broke out yesterday near Fowlds Park in Auckland's Morningside. The cause of that fire is still being investigated, Fire Northern Communications said.
Fire and Emergency NZ told the Herald batteries of all types had caused at least 41 known structure fires in New Zealand this year alone.
In each case, the blaze was severe enough to prompt a call-out from firefighters.
Morningside rubbish truck fire under investigation after breaking out on Wednesday 28 September. Photo / Supplied, Auckland Council
Single-use batteries, rechargeable lithium-ion or NiCad batteries, battery chargers, energy storage systems and battery-powered transportation were among devices involved.
"When a lithium-ion battery fails, it produces a very intense flash of flames which catches fire to other flammable materials around it," Fenz risk reduction and investigations manager Todd O'Donoghue said.
"Although the heat created by a lithium-ion battery is more intense than a standard battery, all batteries can be a fire risk regardless of what they are made of," he added.
Fenz had even changed its reporting system now to identify the prevalence of fires involving newer battery types.
"As more devices in and around our homes use lithium-ion batteries, we may start to see more incidents involving them, particularly if they aren't being used safely."
O'Donoghue said the batteries supplied power to smartphones, laptops, e-cigarettes, smoke alarms and toys.
"Like any product, a small number of these batteries can be defective – they can overheat, catch fire, or explode."
The Materials Recovery Facility in Richmond near Nelson caught fire this year. Investigators believe a lithium-ion battery from a discarded cellphone caused the blaze. Photo / Tasman District Council
He said people should never charge the devices underneath pillows or leave these devices in direct sunlight.
O'Donoghue said people should never dump batteries in rubbish or general recycling, because defective or crushed batteries could cause fires.
He said if a device or battery was swelling, very hot, or smoking while charging, the power should be turned off if it was safe to do so.
An Auckland firefighter said a lack of suitable recycling facilities for the batteries was a major problem in many parts of New Zealand.
A Bay of Plenty scrap dealer agreed - and said discarded batteries were a risk to his business and others in the industry.
Devices left in old or written-off cars could ignite when crushed in scrap yards.
"Basically we don't accept lithium-ion batteries," he said.
Auto Stewardship New Zealand chairman Mark Gilbert said the issue could largely split into concerns about EV batteries and a separate one about small-device batteries.
A levy on EV imports was one possible way to fund stewardship or recycling of car batteries.
Gilbert said the jury was out on whether New Zealand could feasibly extract precious or rare metals from EVs on a large scale.
He said ASNZ was already working on broader EV battery stewardship projects.
''We are very much involved with the Ministry for the Environment and some other players in looking at this."
NZ company Mint Innovation developed new technology for recycling e-waste, including lithium-ion batteries.
But it chose Australia for its first e-waste plant. Mint said it chose Sydney because of a Federal Government grant and a New South Wales making it compulsory to recycle e-waste.
An Auckland lawyer last year described how flames flared out from his Android phone when he smashed it to delete confidential data.
Last week, a University of Queensland expert told the ABC lithium-ion technology should be made to not cause fires but cheaper devices had flooded the market.
Fatal fires in New York City this month and Vancouver in June have been attributed to faulty or overcharged e-scooter and e-bike batteries.
