Suffolk’s New Battery Safety Campaign

Suffolk County Council’s newly launched campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of incorrect battery disposal has taken on increased urgency following a fire at the Stowmarket Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) yesterday.

The campaign, launched last week, aims to highlight the risks posed when batteries—particularly lithium batteries—are placed in household rubbish or mixed recycling instead of being disposed of safely at designated collection points. When damaged or crushed in waste vehicles or at recycling centres, batteries can ignite and lead to serious fires.

Yesterday’s incident at Stowmarket HWRC is believed to have been caused by an item thrown away with its lithium battery still inside. Thanks to the swift response of on-site staff, the fire was brought under control quickly and safely.

Cllr Chris Chambers, Cabinet Member for Transport Strategy, Planning and Waste, met with Suffolk Waste team members, representatives from FCC Environment (who operate Suffolk’s HWRCs), and members of the press including ITV News to discuss the incident and reinforce the importance of the campaign.

Cllr Chambers said:
“The timing of this incident shows exactly why we launched this campaign. Batteries should never be placed in household waste or recycling bins. When they are damaged or crushed, they can cause dangerous fires that put staff, residents, and our facilities at risk. Safe disposal is simple and it makes a real difference.”

The council is urging all residents to remove batteries from items before disposal and take them to battery collection points or any Household Waste Recycling Centre across Suffolk.

For more information on safe battery disposal and to find your nearest recycling location, please visit the Suffolk Recycling website.