UK battery and vape fires set for record year, tracker shows

A new public tracker from CellComply says fires caused by binned batteries or vapes are hitting the UK waste system every nine days in 2026. The data points to a worsening safety problem for bin lorries, recycling centres and waste sites, with incidents already on pace to exceed last year.

Why it matters: - Battery and vape fires can force waste crews to dump burning loads in streets, damage facilities and disrupt local collections. - The tracker suggests the UK waste system is facing a faster rate of reported fires in 2026 than in any previous year. - Research cited in the release estimates more than 1,200 battery fires strike the UK waste system every year, far above the public tracker’s logged total.

What happened: - CellComply published the UK Battery Fire Tracker, a public database that maps every reported incident it could verify for the first time. - The tracker says a fire caused by a binned battery or vape has been publicly reported in the UK waste system every nine days so far in 2026. - The tracker has logged 88 fires in bin lorries, recycling centres and waste sites since January 2023. - Reported incidents rose 88% between 2023 and 2025. - The tracker has recorded 20 incidents by early July 2026, compared with 32 in all of 2025.

The details: - More than half of incidents, or 52%, ignite in bin lorries. - Bin lorry fires often force crews to dump burning loads in residential streets. - Vapes are linked to 23% of incidents. - The release says that share comes a full year after the disposable vape ban. - The East of England is the worst-hit region. - A June fire at a Widnes recycling facility destroyed 450 tonnes of material and was declared a major incident. - An April blaze in Thetford forced Norfolk to suspend electrical waste collections county-wide. - The tracker only counts fires that reached the news or a fire service report, so it likely understates the total number of incidents. - Each incident in the tracker is dated, mapped and linked to its published source.

Between the lines: - The public tracker fills a gap between annual national statistics and the pace of day-to-day waste fires. - The release points to a growing risk inside the collection and sorting system, especially where businesses and shops gather dead batteries and vapes. - The data suggests disposable vape disposal remains a visible trigger even after the ban. - CellComply is using the tracker to position the problem as an operational and compliance issue, not just a public safety one.

What's next: - CellComply says journalists, councils and researchers can use the tracker free under a CC BY licence. - The company is offering a downloadable dataset, plus links to each incident. - CellComply says local and regional breakdowns are available on request. - The tracker will likely be updated as new incidents are reported, which could push 2026 further ahead of prior years.

The bottom line: - Batteries and vapes in the wrong bin are still setting the UK waste system on fire, and the public tracker suggests the problem is accelerating.