Imagine accidentally starting a fire that caused £30 million in damage and destroyed 60,000 tonnes of UK recycling, and never even knowing you did it. This is the hidden danger of battery fires, and unfortunately a true story. In recent years, the number of fires caused by batteries have more than doubled as batteries become more powerful and increasingly hazardous. Nowhere is this risk greater than in the waste and recycling industry, where a single misplaced battery can ignite during collection or processing. In this episode, we uncover how our current recycling systems are fuelling these fires and, crucially, what simple steps we can all take to make sure we’re not the ones who start the next one. Plus, are nitrous oxide canisters rubbish or not, can you recycle brittle bottles, and why has James been rummaging through a bin store in Tenerife?

Join hosts James Piper and Robbie Staniforth as they delve into the world of recycling, hopefully having fun along the way. One thing is for sure, they will talk absolute rubbish from start to finish.

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Timestamps:
Battery fires - 04:23
Additions and corrections - 28:08
Rubbish or Not: nitrous oxide canisters - 35:47
Rubbish News - 41:56
Can you recycle brittle bottles? - 47:18
Residual Rubbish - 50:07

Music licence ID: 6WPY8Q4O2RPFIOTL