Lithium batteries are bursting into flames, starting dangerous, toxic trash fires

Fires. Explosions. Skyrocketing insurance rates. The crisis is here — and it’s putting our workers, recycling systems, and communities at risk.

Today in The Hill National Stewardship Action Council Executive (NSAC) Director Heidi Sanborn, MPA and Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) SWANA CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE sound the alarm on a growing national threat: fires from improperly discarded lithium-ion batteries and hazardous consumer products.

This isn’t an isolated issue. Across North America, fire incidents at recycling and waste facilities rose 15% in just one year — and 14 leading NGOs, convened by NSAC and SWANA, are urging action.

We need manufacturers and policymakers to step up:
Design safer products
Label and educate clearly
Fund accessible take-back programs through Extended Producer Responsibility

Read the op-ed and join us in calling for solutions that protect workers, communities, and the circular economy we all depend on: https://lnkd.in/eMwFsN2R