Three priorities for confronting lithium-ion battery fires before they spread

Keeping lithium-ion batteries out of the waste stream remains the industry's best defence against fires. But even diligent inspection can't catch every small battery hidden in mixed loads, leaving facilities to prepare for the ones that get through.

During a roundtable discussion hosted by the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), C&D recyclers, fire-protection specialists, first responders, insurers, and industry associations examined where current protections fall short and what operators can do differently. 

Moderated by CDRA President John Thomas, the panel included representatives from Richard S. Burns Company, ReSource Waste Services, Fire Rover, Minquadale Fire Company, Marsh McLennan Agency, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), and Recycled Material Association (ReMA).

Drawing on their experiences from across the industry, the panel identified three priorities: keeping more batteries out of the waste stream, building layers of protection for those that reach a facility, and preparing both the operation and the business for a fire.

1. Keep batteries out of the waste stream

Preventing batteries from entering waste and recycling containers remains the industry's best defence, but the panel made clear how difficult that is to achieve.

Allen Burns, owner of Richard S. Burns Company, described a power-tool battery that was not detected during hand sorting, igniting a material pile at his Philadelphia C&D recycling facility. 

ReSource Waste Services processes approximately 175,000 tons of material annually at its Boston facility, where vice-president of operations David Devito said finding batteries in incoming loads is "like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

Power-tool batteries are a particular concern in the C&D stream. A worker may discard a depleted battery in a job-site dumpster without recognizing the hazard. The battery can be damaged by debris in the container and ignite there, in the collection vehicle, at the transfer station, or as the C&D material is processed.

ReSource plans to place prominent no-battery decals on its containers and more broadly advertise that batteries are not acceptable waste. The panel also discussed job-site signage, toolbox talks, clearer product labels, convenient take-back locations, and extended producer responsibility as ways to intercept batteries upstream.

Michael Hoffman, president and CEO of NWRA, emphasized that even the language used in public education matters. Telling consumers that batteries are recyclable may inadvertently suggest that they belong in a curbside recycling cart. NWRA instead encourages the public to recover or turn in batteries through dedicated collection systems.

"Please use the word recover. Don't use the word recycle when you speak about batteries," Hoffman said. "If you do, and we can give you lots of research data, you will confuse the public, and they will put a battery in the bin."

The materials inside batteries can ultimately be recycled, but the route to that recovery needs to be clear. Education must also distinguish between intact batteries accepted by take-back programs and damaged batteries requiring specialized handling.

Successfully removing a battery from the material stream does not resolve the risk. Burns said facilities need practical answers for containment, storage, transportation, and downstream recovery once batteries have been removed from incoming material.

"Even if we do successfully sort these out, where do you store them?" Burns asked. "Now you have a pile of lithium batteries that ends up to be more of an issue."

Some battery recovery services are available only to bulk commercial customers, while damaged batteries may not qualify for conventional take-back programs. Hoffman said that, without an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program, handling and transporting a 55-gallon drum of recovered batteries can cost approximately $1,000 to $1,500. EPR programs could help fund a more accessible collection network rather than leaving recyclers to absorb the risk and expense.

Upstream measures can reduce the number of batteries entering the waste stream, but they cannot guarantee that every battery will be intercepted. Facilities must also prepare for what happens when one gets through.

2. Stop one battery from becoming a catastrophic fire

The experiences shared during the roundtable showed how quickly a small ignition can overwhelm a facility's response capabilities. At Richard S. Burns Company, a small amount of black smoke developed into a plume of flame that spread to adjacent material in windy conditions. Burns estimated that within three minutes, about 200 tons of material were engulfed in flames.

Employees instinctively moved toward the fire and attempted to smother it with material using an excavator. Instead, grease on the grapple caught fire, and leaking hydraulic fluid ignited as the machine operated.

"Things can escalate really quickly," Burns said. "I can't emphasize enough that you've got to keep your guys safe and try to keep them out of it if at all possible. Get the fire department there as soon as possible."

The local fire department was less than a mile away, and firefighters used a hydrant outside the facility to bring the fire under control. The facility reopened the following Monday. Camera footage later helped the fire marshal locate a large power-tool battery buried about three feet into the pile.

ReSource experienced the other end of that spectrum. After operating its Boston facility for roughly 10 years without a battery-fire incident, a fire nearly destroyed the processing operation. The Boston Fire Department preserved much of the building's main structure, but ReSource lost power and all of its processing equipment. The company rebuilt the system and resumed operations 13 months later.

ReSource subsequently installed a heat-detection and remotely operated suppression system that controlled two later battery fires, preventing another catastrophic loss.

Ryan Fogelman, vice president of fire protection at Fire Rover, said no single technology should be treated as a complete answer. Effective protection layers early detection and suppression with pile segregation, housekeeping, worker training, emergency procedures, and coordination with the fire department.

"It's not the silver bullet," Fogelman said of his company's system. "It's proper segregation of your piles. It's having a relationship with your fire department."

Early detection increases the opportunity to respond before surrounding fuel becomes involved. Employees also need to know which events they may be equipped to control, when to evacuate, and why digging into a growing fire with heavy equipment may spread burning material.

That response must be planned before a fire begins.

3. Prepare the facility — and the business — for a fire

Preparing for a fire extends beyond training employees how to respond. It also means ensuring that first responders can access the site, secure enough water, and understand the operation before an incident occurs.

Matt Netsch, fire chief with Minquadale Fire Company in New Castle, Delaware, described the response to a suspected lithium-ion battery fire at a landfill. With the on-site hydrant out of service, responding departments had to shuttle water from a working hydrant about 4,500 feet away. Netsch also pointed to the volume of water lithium-ion battery incidents can demand: his department used approximately 40,000 gallons to contain an electric vehicle fire following a rollover.

When responding to fires at waste and recycling facilities, firefighters may encounter locked gates, difficult terrain, large material piles, unfamiliar hazards, and limited access to the affected area. Containing a fire may require excavators or loaders to separate burning material, but that equipment and qualified operators may not be available after hours.

Jerry Sjogren, senior director of safety at ReMA, urged operators to bring local firefighters into their facilities before an emergency. A pre-incident visit allows responders to understand entrances, water supplies, pile locations, processing activities, equipment access, and the roles facility employees can safely perform.

"You don't want to bring them in when you've got a large fire," Sjogren said. "You want to bring them in ahead of time."

Preparedness also includes hazard assessments, housekeeping, employee training, personal protective equipment, evacuation plans, and emergency reporting procedures. Workers should know the facility's address and be able to describe the incident to a 911 dispatcher.

The business must also be prepared to survive a loss. Leroy Taggart, senior vice-president of property and casualty at Marsh McLennan Agency, said many insurers now expect more than basic extinguishers. Heat-sensing cameras, thermal imaging, remote detection, suppression, formal battery-management plans, and segregation protocols are becoming important considerations in the underwriting of recycling facilities.

Those investments may affect premiums, but the more consequential question is whether a facility can obtain coverage without them. Taggart also recommended completing a third-party appraisal and confirming replacement values with the insurer before a fire. Changes to buildings, equipment, and replacement costs can leave declared values out of step with what rebuilding would actually require.

Devito said ReSource's fire resulted in an insurance claim exceeding $15 million. Alongside rebuilding the processing system, the company faced the complex process of documenting and resolving the claim.

A layered response to an industry-wide problem

The participating associations are approaching the issue from several directions. SWANA is examining facility practices, technology, education, policy, and incident data. ReMA is developing worker and emergency-response resources. NWRA is advancing public messaging, take-back infrastructure, labelling, and extended producer responsibility. 

Battery manufacturers have a role in extended producer responsibility, while policymakers influence labelling requirements. Consumers and contractors determine how batteries are discarded; haulers and processors manage the consequences when they enter the wrong stream; and firefighters and insurers help shape how facilities prepare for and recover from fires.

That leaves operators working on two fronts. They must support education and recovery systems that keep batteries out while preparing their facilities as though one will eventually get through. The roundtable's three priorities — prevention, layered protection, and preparedness — offer a practical place to begin.