Third Fire at a London Recycling Centre This Summer Raises Battery Concerns

On 28 August 2026, 125 firefighters fought a large fire at a Neasden waste-sorting site, and the entire Metropolitan tube line stopped running. It was London's third recycling centre fire this summer. The cause is unknown. Batteries thrown in the bin — often from vapes — spark over ten fires a week at UK waste sites, costing about £1 billion a year, says the Environmental Services Association.