Presumably you're comparing to the hysteria around the rocket falling back to Earth from some time ago.
While the hysteria was a little overblown, there was a pretty important difference, these batteries were heavy and dense, making them pretty likely to pretty much entirely burn up on the way down. The rocket body was large and lightweight, so it was more likely to have debris survive all the way down to the surface.
On top of that, this was an exceptional circumstance, the planned controlled disposal ended up becoming unavailable and potentially grounded for months, while the batteries were an increasing safety hazard. On the other hand, that rocket was intentionally designed this way with no regard for attempting to perform a controlled reentry.
While the hysteria was a little overblown, there was a pretty important difference, these batteries were heavy and dense, making them pretty likely to pretty much entirely burn up on the way down. The rocket body was large and lightweight, so it was more likely to have debris survive all the way down to the surface.
On top of that, this was an exceptional circumstance, the planned controlled disposal ended up becoming unavailable and potentially grounded for months, while the batteries were an increasing safety hazard. On the other hand, that rocket was intentionally designed this way with no regard for attempting to perform a controlled reentry.