Experts are urging households and businesses to recycle lithium-ion batteries, pointing to an uptick in fires tied to batteries entering the wrong waste streams, Spectrum News reports.

The warning lands squarely on the materials-handling side of the circular economy. Lithium-ion batteries — embedded in phones, laptops, power tools, e-bikes and a growing share of consumer goods — pose a distinct hazard when they end up in general waste, recycling bins or scrap loads. Damaged cells can short-circuit and ignite, and fires that start in collection trucks, transfer stations and material recovery facilities are expensive, disruptive and dangerous to workers.

Why does this matter for recycling operations?

Each battery that reaches a materials recovery facility represents a potential ignition source moving through mechanical sorting equipment — screens, belts and balers that can crush a cell and trigger thermal runaway. A single fire event can take a processing line offline, contaminate recovered commodity streams and force operators to upgrade fire suppression and detection systems.

That is why recyclers and waste agencies consistently repeat the same operational message: lithium-ion batteries do not belong in curbside bins of any kind. They require separate collection through designated drop-off points, retailer take-back schemes or hazardous waste programs, from which they flow to specialized battery recyclers capable of safely dismantling and processing the cells.

What do the experts want consumers and handlers to do?

The core recommendation from the experts cited in the report is simple: recycle lithium-ion batteries through proper channels rather than discarding them. The guidance reflects a recognition that as battery-powered products proliferate, the volume of end-of-life cells will only grow — and with it, the fire risk across collection and processing infrastructure.

For the recycling sector, that means the coming years will test whether collection networks and consumer awareness can scale fast enough to keep pace with battery deployment. Fire data from waste and recycling facilities has already prompted industry groups and regulators in several jurisdictions to tighten guidance on battery disposal and to invest in detection and suppression at facilities.

The milestone to watch: whether the reported uptick in battery-linked fires translates into binding disposal rules, expanded mandatory take-back programs, or scaled collection infrastructure — the measures that will determine whether lithium-ion batteries reach recyclers as feedstock rather than reaching MRFs as fire hazards.