The waste bunker is the largest fuel store on an energy-from-waste site. It holds several days of waste so the furnace can run around the clock, it is mixed and moved constantly by the crane, and everything that enters the plant passes through it. That makes it the place where a single hot object can become a fire that takes days to put out.
Fires across the waste chain are rising, and lithium batteries are a large part of the reason. This article looks at what starts bunker fires, what thermal camera systems in the bunker do, and why the most effective layer of protection sits before the bunker, at the tipping gate.
The scale of the problem
There is no single European count of waste facility fires, and national figures use different definitions. The direction is consistent, though:
- UK: Material Focus reported more than 1,200 battery fires a year in bin lorries and waste facilities, a 71% increase since 2022 (letsrecycle.com).
- Austria: statistically up to six fires a day occur in the waste management sector, not all caused by lithium batteries; fire incidents have increased fivefold since 2012, and the association of Austrian waste management companies recorded 36 major fires at disposal and recycling facilities in 2025 (Vienna Online, February 2026).
- Austria, batteries in residual waste: Montanuniversität Leoben estimates that about 3 million lithium batteries end up in residual waste each year, roughly two per tonne (Vienna Online).
- EU: after several major fires in the summer of 2025, each causing damage in the millions of euros, Austria called for EU action on battery fires, supported by Germany and Lithuania (Recycling Magazine).
Two per tonne is the number that matters for an incineration plant. A plant that receives 1,000 tonnes a day would, at that rate, receive around 2,000 lithium batteries a day in its residual waste.
What starts a bunker fire
Hot or reactive objects in the delivery. Damaged lithium batteries can go into thermal runaway, a chain reaction in which the temperature rises until the cell ignites (Vienna Online). Crane grabs and the weight of the waste above can damage cells that arrived intact. Gas cylinders and other pressurised containers add explosion risk; we cover them in detection of nitrous oxide and gas cylinders.
Self-heating of stored waste. In its description of the Prague ZEVO Malešice plant, FLIR names spontaneous chemical combustion of waste and hot particles from collection vehicles as the most common causes of bunker fires, and methane released during decay as a further risk factor (FLIR).
Storage time. The longer waste sits, the more time a smouldering object or a self-heating layer has to develop. Large reserves keep a plant running but increase exposure.
Layer 1: thermal cameras in the bunker
Thermal monitoring is the established answer inside the bunker. At ZEVO Malešice, two FLIR A615 thermal cameras in protective housings watch the bunker as part of Workswell's Waste Bunker Monitor, which shows operators the maximum temperature over time for each sector and the areas with increased fire risk (FLIR). InfraTec's WASTE-SCAN system monitors bunkers and feed hoppers at several European plants, including Amager Resource Center in Copenhagen (InfraTec). At Jönköping Energi's Torsvik plant in Sweden, the thermal system lets operators direct the water cannon to a detected hot spot (Manufacturers' Monthly).
Thermal cameras are essential, and they have a natural limit: they see a problem once it is hot. A battery buried under several metres of waste is invisible until the heat reaches the surface, and by then the fire is already developing.
Layer 2: stopping the cause at the gate
The moment with the best view of what is in a delivery is the tipping moment. The load is spread out as it falls, nothing is yet buried, and the delivery can still be tied to a vehicle and a supplier. That is where Wasteer works. WS Scan captures every delivery with high-resolution cameras while it is tipped, detects critical items such as gas cylinders and other contaminants, and alerts the crane operator immediately, so the item can be picked out or the area marked before it is mixed in. Each event is linked to the delivering vehicle through WS Plate.
Gate detection does not replace thermal monitoring; it reduces how often the thermal system has to act. A visible battery pack, an e-scooter or a gas cylinder found at the gate is a fire that does not have to be detected later. Our article on lithium-ion battery fires covers the detection side in more detail.
Layer 3: knowing where risk sits in the bunker
Once waste is in the bunker, the question becomes where the risky material went. WS Track follows where the crane picks up, mixes and feeds waste and builds a live map of the bunker showing calorific values, special fractions and potential contaminants. A flagged delivery stays visible on that map, so it can be fed early or handled separately instead of being stored for days.
Layer 4: supplier feedback
The last layer is upstream. Because every flagged item is tied to a delivery and a vehicle, a plant can show suppliers how often their loads contain batteries or cylinders, with images. That turns fire prevention from an internal cost into a conversation about waste quality, and it supports the waste acceptance criteria a plant already has.
A practical checklist
- Map your layers. Which of the four does your plant have today: gate detection, thermal monitoring, bunker tracking, supplier feedback?
- Check the thermal system's blind spots. Camera coverage of the whole bunker surface and the feed hopper, alarm thresholds, and the response time to a water cannon.
- Review storage times. Long reserves increase exposure; know where the oldest waste sits.
- Record every find. Image, time, vehicle and supplier for each critical item. Without a record there is no feedback and no trend.
- Talk to your insurer. The German insurers' association GDV publishes fire protection guidance for waste and recycling businesses (GDV); documented, layered measures are easier to present than a single system.
FAQ
Why do waste bunkers catch fire? Mainly because of hot or reactive objects in deliveries, above all damaged lithium batteries, and self-heating of stored waste. Hot particles from collection vehicles and methane from decaying waste add to the risk.
Are thermal cameras enough? They are essential for detecting hot spots in the bunker, but they see a fire only once it produces heat at the surface. Detecting batteries and cylinders at the gate removes many causes before they are buried.
How many batteries reach an incineration plant? Estimates from Austria suggest roughly two lithium batteries per tonne of residual waste. Actual numbers vary by region and collection system.
Does Wasteer detect fires? No. Wasteer detects contaminants and critical items in deliveries at the gate and tracks them in the bunker. Fire detection itself is the job of thermal monitoring and fire alarm systems.