In soft toys and greeting cards Campaign explains the dangers of incorrectly disposed batteries

SDA

15.11.2024 - 22:12

Battery fires can cause major damage - whether in households, waste disposal vehicles or waste and recycling plants. (Archive)
Battery fires can cause major damage - whether in households, waste disposal vehicles or waste and recycling plants. (Archive)
Keystone

Incorrectly disposed of lithium-ion batteries can catch fire. A new campaign aims to raise public awareness of the risk of fire. Batteries are often found in unexpected products.

Keystone-SDA

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  • A campaign highlights the fire risk posed by improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries and provides information on how to dispose of them safely.
  • Such batteries can be found in talking soft toys, musical birthday cards or wireless headphones, for example.
  • If they end up in normal waste, they can ignite it.

Lithium-ion batteries that are not disposed of correctly pose a significant fire risk. A current campaign aims to raise public awareness of this danger.

Swiss Recycling, the Swiss competence center for recycling and circular economy, emphasizes that such batteries are often found in unexpected products. Examples include talking cuddly toys, musical birthday cards and wireless headphones.

When these items end up in normal waste, it is not only valuable raw materials that are lost. In Switzerland, fires caused by incorrectly disposed batteries occur time and again - whether in households, waste disposal vehicles or waste and recycling facilities.

The awareness campaign is being carried out by Swiss Recycling together with the collection systems for batteries and electronic devices. Consumers can find information on the correct handling of rechargeable batteries on the brandgefaehrlich.ch website. A training film is also part of the campaign. In addition, municipalities and waste disposal companies will be provided with posters, flyers and stickers to spread the message.