Incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries causing fires throughout the waste management value chain.

Nesprávna likvidácia lítium-iónových batérií spôsobujúca požiare v celom hodnotovom reťazci odpadového hospodárstva.

Battery fire, European level, Problem and Solutions, Policies.

FEAD will introduce the pressing issue of fires caused by lithium batteries across the entire waste management sector. The presentation will begin by highlighting key data at the European level, demonstrating the increasing frequency of battery-related fires in waste collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal facilities. This will be contextualized with market trends, showing the rapid growth of lithium-ion batteries in the EU and the resulting risks from their improper disposal.

Building on this analysis, FEAD will examine the root causes of these fires, focusing on the challenges of consumer awareness, hidden or embedded batteries in products, and gaps in collection systems. Finally, FEAD will present a series of policy recommendations aimed at mitigating these risks, including improved collection strategies, awareness campaigns, regulatory measures such as restrictions on certain disposable battery-containing products, and financial mechanisms under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to support fire prevention and damage recovery.

Rafael Basciano joined FEAD in February 2024 as the Environmental and Technical Officer. He started his career as a consultant for Deloitte Sustainability France, for 2.5 years, on topics such as conducting environmental audits for industrial companies and designing sustainable strategies for public and private sector. He then worked for 2 years in Manila as Attaché for Scientific Cooperation at the French Embassy to the Philippines, handling bilateral and multilateral cooperation on climate change, health, environment and agriculture. He pursued his work in the Philippines as Decarbonization Leader for Decathlon Philippines.

In FEAD, Rafael is supervising the expert Commitees on Material Recovery and on Hazardous Waste. He is covering the plastics and Construction & Demotion waste recycling sector, as well as the management of WEEE and waste batteries. He has an extensive knowledge of chemicals legislation.

After a year in FEAD, Rafael got promoted as Senior Technical Officer.

FEAD is the European Waste Management Association, representing the private waste and resource management industry across Europe, including 12 national waste management federations and 3,000 waste management companies. Private waste management companies operate in 60% of municipal waste markets in Europe and in 75% of industrial and commercial waste. This means more than 320,000 local jobs, fuelling €5 billion of investments into the economy every year.