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BMRA Introduces Fire Prevention Guidance for the Metals Recycling Industry

Recycling and Waste Management

Business Honor
20 March, 2025

New guidance helps recycling operators reduce fire risks and improve safety measures.

The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) has launched a new fire prevention sector-specific guidance to help its members minimize the risk of fire at recycling plants. The guidance will help operators develop Fire Prevention Plans (FPPs) in accordance with the Environment Agency's (EA) permitting regulations.

The report offers useful guidance on location planning, infrastructure, and fire prevention facilities to reduce fire hazard. The report also supplies detailed information regarding techniques specific to different recycling operations and materials such as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV), batteries, cylinders, and storage at the quayside. All of these materials are of high fire risk, especially from the incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries.

Antonia Grey, the head of policy and public affairs at BMRA, pointed to the increasing worry about fire accidents at metals recycling facilities. She stressed that the new guidance marks months of focused effort aimed at improving the sector's fire precautions.

"In view of the escalating risk of fire BMRA members are subjected to due to fires caused by wrongly discarded WEEE and lithium-ion batteries, we are greatly glad to issue our Metals Recycling Fire Prevention Sector Specific Guidance," added Grey.

Apart from providing the guidance, BMRA is also organizing fire prevention workshops throughout the UK in partnership with its partner Packattack. Three such successful workshops have been organized so far, and more are in the pipeline in an attempt to make the members' fire prevention strategies more effective.

The BMRA guidance is made available to members of the company in electronic as well as hard copy formats. It is expected to play an important role in ensuring regulatory conformity with the requirements while promoting best practice in risk management and fire safety in metals recycling.