Batteries that end up in the wrong waste streams are increasingly causing fires at sorting centres and recycling plants. Bebat, Recupel and Fost Plus are therefore joining forces once again to run a joint campaign. There is a single clear message for consumers: always keep batteries and electrical appliances separately and take them to the Bebat and Recupel collection points.
Batteries make our lives easier and more mobile. Increasingly we are finding them in items we use every day: electric toothbrushes, drills and laptops but also in card readers, wireless earphones and bicycle lights. In 2025, nearly 27,8 million lithium batteries came onto the Belgian market, double the figure of 20 years ago.
Invisible danger
These batteries are really useful, but unfortunately, sooner or later they still end up in waste streams. That can lead to risks. In fact lithium batteries can catch fire spontaneously after a heavy impact or when dropped from a height. When combined with other flammable materials, this is causing an increasing number of small and large fires in sorting centres, warehouses, trucks and recycling facilities.
Many of our partners have invested heavily in measures to mitigate these risks, including fire detectors and sprinkler systems. However, measures are also needed on the intake side. An additional problem is that batteries are often built into a device, and that means consumers are not always aware of the potential danger.
Our partners – sorting centres and recycling companies in particular – are facing major risks today. The circular economy in our country can only survive if we can guarantee the safety of their activities and create a safe working environment for everyone who works there. This requires a broad range of measures. With this campaign, we want to raise public awareness of the problem and the major impact of seemingly trivial sorting errors.
Raising public awareness
Bebat, Recupel and Fost Plus are therefore joining forces for the second year running to launch a specific campaign on this theme. The aim is to make consumers aware of the potential impacts of their sorting behaviour and to provide them with very clear instructions.
The message is threefold:
1. Always keep batteries and electrical appliances separate and never mix them with other waste streams such as residual waste, PMD or paper-cardboard.
2. Take your empty batteries to a Bebat collection point and your end-of-life electrical appliances to a Recupel collection point. These are places where they can be safely stored and processed.
3. If it is a built-in battery or you cannot remove the battery from the device yourself: take the device with the battery to a Recupel collection point.
The campaign began on 31 August and will run until the end of September. In addition to the online videos, a wide range of resources are also available that intermunicipal organisations can use in their own communication with the public. The campaign is available in Dutch and French. Check out the videos below.