Ballina is set to join a state-wide trial aimed at tackling one of the fastest-growing fire hazards in household waste — discarded batteries.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority’s program to collect items with embedded lithium-ion batteries is expanding to 13 new locations, including Ballina, giving residents a free and safe way to dispose of everything from vapes and headphones to e-scooters and electric toothbrushes.

Lithium-ion batteries are highly combustible, and the scale of the problem is staggering.

Environment Protection authorities report that between 10,000 and 12,000 fires a year are sparked by batteries across Australia.

In NSW alone there have been 220 fires attributed to batteries so far this year, with blazes in trucks, tips and recycling centres proving hard to extinguish.

In Ballina Shire, the fire brigades have dealt with five fires sparked by batteries over the past three years.

NSW EPA Chief Executive Tony Chappel said the risk to waste workers and communities was serious.

“We’re leading the way to combat these risks by introducing a product stewardship scheme, but we also need to make sure battery-powered items are being managed at the end of their usable life,” he said.

The trial began in 2024 and has already collected more than 9,000 kilograms of battery-powered waste across 21 councils. 

With more than 30 councils now on board, the goal is to prevent fires, recover valuable materials and keep communities safe.

Residents are urged to check their homes for unwanted gadgets with built-in batteries and drop them at Ballina’s Community Recycling Centre.

As Fire and Rescue NSW Deputy Commissioner Paul McGuiggan recently warned, battery fires are not only more frequent but also more dangerous.

 “They generate toxic fumes, they can explode, and they have a rate of injury four times higher than other fires,” he said.

The trial will run until September 2026 and will be extended if successful.