IN THE Space of just one week, two fires broke out at the Noosa Council Resource Recovery Centre at Doonan, and both were likely started by batteries not disposed of correctly.

Noosa Council sent out an urgent plea to residents to remove batteries from all items they discard after investigations revealed a battery likely sparked both fires.

Old batteries are free to drop off at the Eumundi Noosa Road Resource Recovery Centre.

Where customers can’t remove a battery from an item they’re throwing away, such as a power tool or old e-scooters or e-bike, the whole item should be handed to waste facility staff for safe disposal.

These steps could help prevent further serious fires at Council’s waste facilities.

The latest fire – the third this year – broke out in the steel recycling area of the Doonan Resource Recovery Centre. It’s the same area where just over a week ago, fire crews were called to extinguish a large blaze in the early hours of the morning, also believed to have been started by a battery left inside a discarded item.

Waste Coordinator Peita Otterbach said investigations into the first fire, which closed the Eumundi Noosa Road facility all day on Wednesday, suggest the incident likely originated from a battery in an item discarded in the steel stockpile area.

“There are signs in place at the Resource Recovery Centre clearly explaining that batteries must be dropped off at the transfer station, not dumped elsewhere on site, such as the steel stockpile, where the fires have occurred,” Ms Otterbach said.

“Discarded batteries have significant potential to cause harm if they’re not disposed of correctly.

“Lithium-ion batteries in particular have been linked to house and garage fires, and the potential for fire increases once they enter the waste stream,” Ms Otterbach said.

Queensland Fire Department (QFD) reports that more than 200 battery-sparked fires occurred in Queensland in the first 11 months of 2025 alone, averaging around one fire every two days. Most battery-related fires attended by QFD involved lithium-ion batteries found in everyday items, including e-bikes, e-scooters, vapes, cordless tools, household electronics, and improperly disposed batteries in waste streams.

“Incorrectly disposed batteries are now one of the leading causes of fires in kerbside waste collection trucks across Queensland, and Noosa is no exception.”

Ms Otterbach said it is up to the consumer to responsibly dispose of the waste they generate, including batteries.

“People must be mindful that they have an obligation to dispose of their own rubbish responsibly. That can be done very easily by sorting batteries from other material they’re taking to our waste and recycling facilities and checking with the transfer station attendant where to put them.”

For more on safe waste disposal and advice on what can and can’t be recycled, visit Noosa Council’s website - noosa.qld.gov.au/Environment-and-Waste/Waste-and-Recycling.