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There were at least two fires a week at the region’s recycling centre with the cause most often being battery-powered devices and batteries being disposed of incorrectly, according to Auckland Council.
Five rubbish and recycling truck fires caught fire in the first two weeks of 2025 alone.
Waste Solutions general manager Justine Haves said people needed to understand putting e-waste in kerbside bins created a fire hazard.
“Electronic devices and batteries can be recycled in most cases, but they contain hazardous substances so require specialist handling.
Five Auckland Council rubbish and recycling truck fires had caught fire in the first two weeks of 2025 alone. Photo / Auckland Council
Damaged or crushed, lithium-ion batteries could ignite during the waste collection process.
Haves encouraged people to use take-back and drop-off schemes run by retailers and community recycling centres.
“Making use of battery and e-waste drop-off options helps keep you and our staff safe, keeps harmful materials out of the environment, and helps us recover and reuse valuable resources.”
In December 2024, the council said almost 600 laptops and over 300 12-volt batteries found their way to Auckland’s recycling facility, in what appeared to be a pre-Christmas offload by Aucklanders.
It said batteries were not the only fire hazards placed in bins.
A half-full 40kg LPG bottle and a partially full jerry can of petrol were discovered by recycling truck drivers in January.
Over 300 LPG bottles and gas canisters were found in the past six months at the Auckland recycling facility.
To mitigate the dangers of rubbish truck fires, the council’s waste solutions team was testing an early warning system for truck drivers experiencing a fire and options for extinguishing a fire inside a truck.
Currently, drivers were required to first notify their supervisor, who contacted Fire and Emergency, before finding a safe clear place to empty their load if they noticed a fire coming from their truck.
The council said the new system would reduce the potential for environmental contamination when the load was tipped out for Fire and Emergency respondents to extinguish.
Retailers often have takeback schemes for used battery-powered devices they have sold. Some large retailers such as Noel Leeming allow you to bring in items they did not sell. Check retailer websites for what they accept and participating stores.
Gas bottles and canisters can be taken to a community recycling centre or to a MataGas outlet provided it is empty of gas. Some New Zealand camping stores sell a tool that enables canisters to be fully emptied before drop off at a recycling centre.
