Norwegian waste sector warns of battery‑caused fires

Mis‑sorted household batteries are triggering weekly fires in Norway’s recycling trucks and waste‑sorting facilities. According to Norsk Industri, around 85 % of fires with a known cause at recycling plants are linked to batteries.

An AA battery mistakenly mixed with plastic waste caused a blaze at the Områ sorting plant, shutting the line for half an hour and destroying roughly one tonne of plastic – equivalent to a year’s waste from about 125 residents.

For the fourth consecutive year, the LOOP Foundation for source sorting and recycling, together with the national waste‑and‑recycling industry, has launched a campaign urging citizens to tape battery terminals, store used batteries in a dedicated container, and return them for free at purchase points or municipal recycling stations. Sellers of batteries are also required to accept and inform about proper sorting.