5512 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment

5512 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment: Has she received any estimates on the environmental impact of waste related fires caused by battery disposal, and if so, what are they?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I recently received a letter from WasteMINZ outlining concerns around the risk and impact surrounding battery collection and recycling in New Zealand. WasteMINZ noted that when disposed of incorrectly, such as thrown into household rubbish bins, batteries can easily get damaged and catch fire in collection trucks or processing facilities. Fires caused by batteries are on the rise in New Zealand and around the world, as batteries are embedded in common electronic products such as vapes, electronic toothbrushes, razors, toys and phones. It is difficult to quantify the size of the problem, due to the extensive range of products that utilise batteries. However, industry has shared that fires are increasing and currently tracking at more than one a week. Not all fires can be, or are, attributed to batteries, but they are the leading suspect. WasteMINZ noted an increase waste and battery related fires with at least 17 rubbish truck fires in Auckland alone in 2024 compared to 13 for the whole of 2023, and a fire in a materials recovery facility, which were all attributed to batteries.