It's been a fiery start to 2025, with at least nine Auckland rubbish trucks bursting into flames in the first two weeks of the year.

Auckland Council says it's likely due to ever-increasing numbers of batteries and battery-powered devices being dumped in bins.

The Auckland recycling facility that sorts the region’s kerbside recycling, has two small fires a week - usually sparked by lithium-ion batteries.

General Manager of Waste Solutions Justine Haves says there's been a significant uptake in lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream - and this is likely the cause of these fires.

"We can't attribute them to the fires directly, but what we do know is that they're highly explosive material and there's many more of them in our waste stream than ever before."

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