Sensor-based waste sorting reduces number of battery fires in recycling plants

According to a study by the German association BDE, more than 10,000 fires occur annually in German waste sorting plants. Around 80 percent of these fires are caused by lithium-ion batteries. Common in smartphones, electric toothbrushes or singing greeting cards, these batteries are often disposed of together with packaging waste. They can be damaged and catch fire, particularly during the recycling process in sorting plants. The damage caused by this is estimated at around one billion euros a year.