The Bad News: THERE IS AN INHERENT RISK OF FIRES IN THE WASTE AND RECYCLING INDUSTRY! I do not make that statement lightly. The problem is not going away. In fact, all the data in my report point toward the problem getting worse. What is causing this to happen? In a nutshell, traditional hazards combined with the onslaught of batteries in our waste and recycling streams, worsening heat across the globe, and a myriad of other factors continue to make operating in this space more dangerous. Additionally, as the world seeks to become "greener," more stress is being placed on our waste and recycling infrastructure. Hazards that used to get thrown in a landfill or illegally dumped are not being handled properly but causing some negative effects on our infrastructure. So, in essence, the resulting increase in fires is a good problem to have for the globe, but dangerous, nonetheless.

The Good News: There are solutions to our fire problem. Many industries that have an inherent risk of fires in their operations have learned through education, operational best practices, and investment in technology to safely operate within the constraints of their issues.

There are many great folks who work on educating the public about proper recycling, some of whom are highlighted in my report. I also believe that it is only fair that some of the costs of these fire hazards should be borne by the manufacturers of the batteries as opposed to the operators, insurance companies, and municipal fire departments. Due to the sheer number of facilities, we need to roll this out to almost 6,000 materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and transfer stations in the U.S. alone. Add to that the number of hazards that are increasing at a compounding scale, it's clear we need to fight this fight on several fronts.

What can the operators, technology providers, and fire professionals do? NOT HAVE A MAJOR FIRE INCIDENT.

So, what does that mean in reality?

Prevention: It's the operator's job to follow best practices to minimize a fire.

Internal Response: Outside of a fire brigade, the operators must train their employees on best practices such as when it is safe for them to respond and when they must evacuate. In addition, they should invest in solutions like the Fire Rover that detect the fire early with thermal cameras, optical flame/smoke detectors, eliminate the need for a response when the situation warrants, and can engage the fire professionals when warranted.

Professional Response: Arming and equipping our fire professionals with the proper tools, training, techniques, and education to successfully fight these types of fire hazards.

Successfully fighting fire problems on a long-term basis requires a combination of all parties working together in lockstep and ready to respond when and if the situation arises. Since no two fire incidences are the same, no two responses are the same, which is why we need a framework that allows for flexibility, quick thinking, and proper actions to ensure if an operator has a fire incident that it is not "major" or "catastrophic."

Check out Appendix K, The Combinational Approach(TM) to Fighting a Waste and Recycling Fire, for best practices developed by Jim Emerson and me.

In 2021, my team at Fire Rover was responsible for more than 1,000 saves at our 300-plus client operations. We have never had a catastrophic incident that began in an area that we protect. Are we perfect? No, but we have successfully fought any major incident that we faced with minimal damage to any of our clients' facilities.

Even with our performance, 2021 was the highest year for reported waste and recycling facilities fires that we have experienced since I began consolidating the data in 2016.