Residents urged to recycle electricals safely after surge in battery-related fires

26 August 2026

Residents across West Northamptonshire are being asked to make sure electronic and electrical items with batteries are recycled rather than thrown in the bin.

This follows a sharp rise in battery-related fires linked to waste collections, putting crews at risk and disrupting bin collections.

The number of waste-related fires has increased dramatically over the past three financial years, rising from just one incident in 2023/4 to 35 in 2025/26.

The increase mirrors a growing national concern about lithium-ion batteries being placed in household waste and recycling bins, where they can be crushed or damaged during collection and processing, and then catch fire.

During the same period, the Council has seen a huge increase in vapes – the majority of which contain lithium-ion batteries – being thrown into household waste.

Instead, residents can recycle small electrical items, including vapes, from home by placing them in a bag on top of the appropriate bin or recycling sack on collection day. For Northampton use the blue recycling bin, for Daventry use the black waste bin and for South area use either blue or black bin.

Many everyday household products contain batteries, including electric toothbrushes, wireless earbuds, mobile phones, toys, mini fans, solar lights, electric shavers and cordless power tools.

When these items are placed in household waste or recycling bins, batteries can become damaged or crushed, increasing the risk of fires in waste collection vehicles and causing disruption to collection services.

Cllr Nigel Stansfield, Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste, said: "The rise we've seen in battery-related fires is a real concern.

“In just three years, incidents have increased from one fire to 35, putting our collection crews, vehicles and facilities at risk.

“Many residents might not realise that so many everyday items contain batteries and if they’re placed in household waste or recycling bins, they can be crushed and potentially catch fire.

“We're asking everyone to help us reverse this trend by recycling batteries, vapes and small electrical items.

“Our kerbside collection service makes it easy to do the right thing, helping to keep people safe while recovering valuable materials that can be reused."

Residents are reminded that batteries should be removed and recycled separately wherever it is safe to do so. If a battery cannot be removed safely, the whole item should be recycled through the collection service.