Ryan Fogelman, J.D., MBA

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6th Annual Reported Waste & Recycling Facilities Fire In The US & Canada

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI, USA, March 16, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The waste and recycling industry faces various challenges daily, one of which being the risk of fires. This is mainly due to the nature of our operations and items such as lithium-ion batteries that end up in the wrong waste or recycling streams.

In 2022, the industry was bombarded with fires, ranking the worst year for waste and recycling facility fires in the U.S. and Canada since I began reporting the data in 2016. Last year, there were 390 unique fire incidents reported at waste and recycling facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and based on reasonable assumptions, we can extrapolate that 2,400-plus facility fires occurred in 2022.

To provide a more detailed look at the risk these fires present to the industry and the solutions to prevent these fires, Fire Rover has released the 6th edition of the "Waste & Recycling Facility Fires Annual Report,” which breaks down the hazards of different fire incidents by material, state, tonnage and more with the ultimate goal of finding new trends or learnings from these incidents in an effort to reduce future incidents.

The report, which includes data from 2016-2022, unveils a growing threat to the waste and recycling industry: Lithium-ion batteries. While not a new threat, fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are on the rise and getting more severe.

For example, in November 2022, the New York City Fire Department reported “191 fires, 140 injuries and six deaths from lithium-ion fires in the city.” Councilwoman Joann Ariola, chair of the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management, said the city is on track to more than double the number of lithium-ion battery-related fires. Furthermore, across the world in Australia, firefighters have stated that the country “is not prepared” for the fire risk of lithium-ion batteries used in e-scooters, bikes, cars, etc.

With all the hoopla surrounding lithium-ion batteries as the main culprit of fires, we cannot overlook the fact that in the waste and recycling industry, fire hazards are caused by several different factors. In fact, most of the data I have seen show that batteries are responsible for about half of the fires we see in our waste and recycling streams. Other factors like accelerants, pressurized tanks, explosives and more have long been causing fires at our waste and recycling operations and cannot be overlooked.

To provide a deeper understanding of these threats and the steps the industry can take to prevent these fire incidents, the report covers:

• The causes of fire incidents
• Fire causation trends
• A breakdown of facility fires by state and province
• Year-over-year data comparisons
• The consequences of fire incidents, including injuries, illnesses and deaths
• Deep dive into Fire Rover incident data
• Solutions such as Fire Rover, education, investing in technologies, implementing proven best practices and extended producer responsibility legislation
• And more

Interested in receiving a copy of the report? Subscribe to the “Fire Safety Report” newsletter or email me directly at rfogelman@firerover.com. Hard copies are available to order at Amazon: All proceeds from the sale of the report go to support fire safety training.

About Fogelman
Ryan Fogelman, J.D., MBA, is a partner for Fire Rover. He is focused on bringing innovative safety solutions to market, and two of his solutions have won the distinguished Edison Innovation Award for Industrial Safety and Consumer Products. He has been compiling and publishing the “Reported Waste & Recycling Facility Fires In The US/CAN” since February 2016 and the “Waste & Recycling Facility Fires Annual Report.” Fogelman regularly speaks on the topic of the scope of fire problems facing the waste and recycling industries, early detection solutions, proper fire planning and early-stage fire risk mitigation. Additionally, Fogelman is on the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee for Hazard Materials. (Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjayfogelman or email at rfogelman@firerover.com)

Ryan Fogelman
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Lithium-ion Batteries Fires Are Everywhere....

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