Pennsylvania’s recycling and waste facilities are experiencing a surge in fires caused by improperly discarded lithium-ion batteries, with 2025 already shaping up to be the worst year on record. Recent months have seen record-high incidents at scrap yards, recycling centers, and waste facilities statewide, threatening worker safety, damaging infrastructure, and straining emergency response systems.
The Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association (PWIA) urges residents to take simple precautions to prevent these fires: never place batteries in household trash or curbside recycling, use designated drop-off sites such as Call2Recycle retail locations, and tape or bag used batteries before disposal. The alert also calls for legislative action, including support for House Bill 1233, which aims to create safer, more consistent battery disposal and collection systems across the Commonwealth.