The waste transfer station takes refuse material collected locally and bulks it for onward reprocessing.
The precise cause of the fire has not been determined but FCC Environment, which manages the 11 recycling centres and four transfer stations around the county on behalf of Suffolk County Council, said that when a fire starts in piles of waste it is usually caused by a battery that has managed to spark.
This can happen if there is friction, such as when a waste pile is moved or crushed.
In June 2022 a fire at the Materials Recycling Facility in Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, which recycles waste from across Suffolk, is suspected to have been started by a battery dumped with household recycling.
Lithium batteries are a particular problem but standard household batteries are also culprits, as well as vapes and small electricals plus items that do not look like they have a battery such as Christmas jumpers and light toys.
All batteries should be disposed of either at recycling centres or in collection points at most large stores where they are sold.
Councillor Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Transport Strategy and Waste, said:
“Batteries are every-day items we all take for granted but they need to be disposed of properly because if they end up in black bin bags they can cause fires as they are processed.
“The impact of any fire is felt across the entire waste journey as it means facilities can be taken out of action for a period for remedial works.
“Thankfully the fire at Haverhill was resolved quickly and with manageable disruption to operations, but this incident serves as a reminder to us all of the importance of disposing of batteries properly.”
Steve Longdon, Operations Director with FCC Environment, said:
“We welcome hundreds of thousands of people to the public sites that we run each year, but residents do not see what goes on behind the scenes sorting and bulking materials to enable it to be sent on for recycling.
“For some time now batteries and electrical items placed in the wrong bins have caused us real concern. For example, we know most batteries thrown away in the UK at the moment are not recycled properly.
“Fires caused by carelessly discarded batteries endanger lives, cause millions of pounds of damage and disrupt waste services.
“We urge the public to please recycle batteries and electricals responsibly by using widely available local battery and electrical recycling services, including those at the 11 recycling centres across the county.”
Work began in May to build a new recycling centre for Haverhill within the waste transfer station.
The new centre, which should be completed in early 2024, will replace the current facility in Chalkstone Way.
Fire and Rescue Services attend around 300 significant fires at waste sites per year in the UK. There are many other smaller fires that are dealt with before they become significant.
More information on hidden batteries can be found at the Suffolk Recycling website.
Details on how to find your nearest electrical recycling point can also be found at the Suffolk Recycling website.
