Nearly 60% of people in Japan do not know how to properly dispose of mobile batteries, while fires involving batteries are on the rise, a survey has shown.

Experts are calling on the public to not throw such devices away as garbage, as some discarded batteries have started fires in waste collection vehicles.

Market research company Cross Marketing Group conducted the online survey in late October, receiving responses from 1,100 people between the ages 20 and 69 across the country.

When asked about the correct way to discard mobile batteries, 58% of the respondents said they did not know. The proportion of respondents who had a vague idea was 30.2%, while those feeling sure they knew accounted for only 11.8%.

The research also asked respondents if they cared about product safety, allowing multiple answers.

The biggest share of respondents, or 36.4%, said they did not care much. Meanwhile, 23.1% said they thought about safety, although it did not affect the way they use products or what products they choose.

Those who select a product from a reliable manufacturer made up 19.8%.

Regarding proper ways of discarding mobile batteries, 27.9% said that they have heard they are supposed to take the products to locations designated by local governments. Putting the batteries in collection boxes at electronics stores was chosen by 26.4%.

Meanwhile, 40.9% said they had not heard of any of the options listed in the survey. That was the most frequently given answer.

Most mobile batteries are lithium-ion batteries, which are small and light and can be charged many times. Designated ways of discarding them differ from one municipality to another.

In some areas, residents need to check the locations of collection boxes. Some municipalities require residents to hand in batteries at their offices if the batteries are deformed or swollen.

According to the Environment Ministry, 8,543 fire incidents involving mobile batteries discarded as waste occurred in garbage trucks or elsewhere in fiscal 2023.

In response to such incidents, the industry ministry decided to make the collection and recycling of mobile batteries mandatory for manufacturers. The rule will be enforced from April.

¡°The basic principle is to discard (mobile batteries) in line with the garbage separation rules of local governments and consult officials if the batteries are swollen,¡± said Atsushi Terazono, senior principal researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

Meanwhile, there have been problems with the ways local governments collect the batteries and convey related information to residents, Terazono also said, adding that such information does not seem to be reaching consumers well.

¡°Manufacturers should take the initiative in collecting and recycling the batteries,¡± Terazono added.