The box of batteries ignited in the back of a Rotorua bin truck on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
The box of batteries ignited in the back of a Rotorua bin truck on Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
A fire inside a Rotorua rubbish truck this week has prompted renewed warnings about the dangers of discarding batteries in household waste, after firefighters traced the incident to a box of improperly disposed lithium batteries.
The fire broke out during a routine kerbside collection on Wednesday morning, when the truck’sdriver noticed smoke on an onboard camera feed, according to a spokesperson for Rotorua Lakes Council.
The driver pulled over to a safe location and added additional waste to smother the flames before continuing to the landfill, the spokesperson said.
The truck then travelled to Rotorua’s landfill site in Horohoro, where a crew from Fire and Emergency New Zealand ensured the fire was fully extinguished.
No one was injured and the truck itself was not damaged, allowing it to return to service later that day.
Fire and Emergency said a single appliance from the Rotorua station was dispatched at 11.43am after receiving reports of a rubbish truck carrying a “smoking load”.
Once at the landfill, firefighters extinguished about a square metre of smouldering material released from the truck.
An investigation later identified a box of discarded batteries, including a laptop battery, as the culprit.
Lithium-based batteries, commonly found in laptops, mobile phones, power tools and vaping devices, are increasingly responsible for fires in waste and recycling systems nationwide.
When crushed or punctured during compaction inside a rubbish truck or at a transfer station, the batteries can short-circuit and ignite, sometimes explosively.
Council officials said there had been no other bin-truck fires in Rotorua over the past year but acknowledged a growing national trend.
Similar incidents across Auckland last year were linked to lithium batteries, including a large blaze on the North Shore in April that prompted residents to remain indoors because of toxic smoke.
“We’re using this as an opportunity to remind the community that batteries and battery-embedded devices must not be placed in kerbside rubbish or recycling bins,” a council spokesperson said.
“They pose a significant fire risk to workers, equipment and the wider public.”
A fire at a waste station in Auckland in April 2025. Photo / Matt Martell
Rotorua councillor Fisher Wang shared images of the burned batteries on social media and praised the driver’s quick response.
He urged residents to take greater care with battery disposal.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson reiterated that recycling was the safest option and warned against stockpiling discarded batteries at home.
If a battery or device began to smoke or catch fire, people should evacuate immediately, close doors if it was safe to do so, and call emergency services from a secure location, they said.
“Battery vapour and smoke are highly toxic and flammable.
“Anyone exposed to battery fluids, debris, smoke or flames should seek urgent medical attention.”
Lithium batteries can be recycled at the Rotorua Recycling Centre, alongside standard household alkaline batteries, using designated collection bins.
Damaged or leaking batteries, however, are considered hazardous waste and require specialist handling.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
