Fire at Warwickshire recycling centre caused by lithium battery

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 13:02 · Archive

A fire at a Warwickshire recycling centre was caused by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery placed in household waste.

A fire broke out at Kenilworth's Cherry Orchard waste and recycling centre on Sunday 25 October after a rechargeable lithium-ion battery was placed in a black bag with other household waste. Staff spotted smoke and flames emerging from a waste skip, and the fire spread rapidly to an adjacent skip containing cardboard. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident, which lasted about 90 minutes. The facility was evacuated and closed to the public during the emergency response.

Warwickshire County Council issued a warning following the incident. Councillor Darren Cheshire, portfolio holder for environment, heritage and culture, said: 'This incident at Cherry Orchard serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of incorrectly disposing of batteries and other hazardous items.' The council noted that fires at recycling centres and in kerbside bins are typically caused by rechargeable batteries and electrical items containing them.

The authority urged residents to use dedicated containers at household waste recycling centres for batteries, vapes and electrical items. Batteries can also be taken to dedicated bins at supermarkets and electrical retailers, while vapes can be returned to vendors. The council added that it has dedicated containers for these items at all household waste recycling centres across Warwickshire.

How it is being reported

• Recycling centre fire prompts battery warningA fire spread from a skip and led to Cherry Orchard waste and recycling centre being evacuated.BBC Coventry And Warwickshire · 27 Oct, 12:49
• Fire breaks out at Warwickshire recycling centreA fire broke out at Kenilworth's Cherry Orchard household waste recycling centre on after a member of the public disposed of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in a black bag with other household wasteCoventryLive · 27 Oct, 08:39

In this story: Kenilworth · Cherry Orchard · Warwickshire County Council · Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service · Darren Cheshire

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