5513 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment

5513 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment: Has she received any estimates on the economic costs 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. In that letter, WasteMINZ noted that a study on battery fires in the waste industry from the United Kingdom found that 48 per cent of waste fires are caused by lithium-ion batteries, and cost the waste industry £158 million each year. The letter also commented that New Zealand, councils, community groups and private operators are facing increasing costs to cover: • mitigation tools • infrastructure and services to improve recycling and recovery options for batteries • damage to plant and machinery and disruption to commercial operations • increasing insurance premiums.