Lithium Batteries and Vapes in Skips: Why They Cause Fires

Lithium batteries, including those in vapes, power tools, laptops, phones, e-bikes and e-scooters, must never go in a skip or general waste bin. When they are crushed, punctured or compacted with other rubbish, they can short-circuit and burst into flames, and battery fires have become one of the biggest safety risks facing the waste industry in the UK.

Why Lithium Batteries Are So Dangerous in Waste

A damaged lithium battery can overheat very quickly in a process known as thermal runaway, producing intense heat and toxic smoke. Inside a skip, a bin lorry or a waste sorting facility, it is surrounded by paper, cardboard, wood and plastic, so a small battery can start a large fire. These fires put drivers and site staff at risk, damage vehicles and equipment, and can spread to nearby buildings. Even batteries that look flat or dead can still hold enough charge to ignite.

Disposable Vapes

Disposable vapes were a major cause of battery fires in the waste stream, because each one contains a small lithium battery that is easy to throw away without thinking. Single-use vapes were banned from sale in England from June 2025, but many are still in drawers, cars and bags, and rechargeable vapes contain batteries too. Used vapes should be taken back to a shop that sells them or to a household waste recycling centre, never put in a skip.

Hidden Batteries to Watch Out For

Batteries are often hidden inside other items, which is how they end up in skips by accident. Watch out for electric toothbrushes, children's toys, smoke alarms, cordless tools, garden equipment, singing greetings cards, headphones and anything that lights up or charges by USB. During a house or office clear-out, set these items aside rather than putting them in with general rubbish. Electrical items are covered by separate rules, as our guide on fridges, TVs and electricals in skips explains.

How to Dispose of Batteries Safely

Most supermarkets and many shops that sell batteries have collection points, and household waste recycling centres accept larger batteries and electrical items. Before recycling, cover the terminals of loose lithium batteries with tape to stop them touching each other. Damaged, swollen or leaking batteries should be kept somewhere cool and away from anything flammable until they can be taken to a recycling centre. Car batteries can only go in a skip by prior arrangement with us.

How We Keep Our Sites Safe

Everything we collect is sorted by hand and machine at our Horley picking station, where staff look out for batteries and other dangerous items before waste is processed further. You can help keep our drivers and team safe by keeping batteries out of your skip altogether. Our guide on what you can put in a skip lists the other items that cannot be accepted.