The safety of waste and recycling operatives is at risk from batteries and vapes discarded with household waste, warn public leaders.
Recently, two fires were started in bin lorries that were traced to a battery and a vape which had been thrown out with resident’s household waste.
The two incidents took place while crew from Ubico, the council’s waste and recycling partner, were collecting waste from Rodborough and Cashes Green in August.
After the contents of the bins had been deposited and compacted, the crew noticed smoke coming from the back of the trucks.
On both occasions Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service attended to put the fires out and investigate the causes.
A Ubico spokesperson said: “If it wasn’t for the quick action of the crew this could have been a much more serious incident, putting the safety of the crew and members of the public at risk.
“Hundreds of fires are caused by crushed or damaged batteries and gas cylinders incorrectly discarded in waste and recycling trucks and recycling centres across the UK every year.”
Cllr Chloe Turner, Stroud District Council’s Chair of Environment Committee said: “Batteries, vapes and electrical items should never be put in household waste or recycling containers. They can explode and cause fires when crushed, endangering the safety of the Ubico crews and causing serious environmental and health risks.
“They can be disposed of at various locations across the district including most supermarkets, and at household waste and recycling centres.
“If you don’t know how to dispose of an item there is a useful Waste Wizard page on the council’s website that explains how to dispose of any item safely: www.stroud.gov.uk/wastewizard”
There were more than 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste sites across the UK last year, according to campaign group Recycle Your Electricals.
If batteries cannot be removed from a device, for example in vapes or calculators they should be disposed of at a household recycling centre.
If you are buying a new electrical product, the retailer must accept the old one on a like-for-like basis.
Retailers are required to accept small electrical items for disposal if their sales area for electrical and electronic equipment is more than 400 square metres.
Mark Preece, Chief Fire Officer at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It’s extremely important that residents do not dispose of batteries, vapes and electrical items in their household waste or recycling containers. This can be extremely dangerous and put people’s safety at risk as they can explode when crushed and cause fires.
“I would urge people to please dispose of these items safely at a recycling centre or check with your local supermarket if they have a recycling bank suitable for vapes, to avoid causing potentially serious incidents.”
A series of videos has been released by Recycle Your Electricals featuring HypnoCat, a pink fluffy cat on a mission to hypnotise the nation into properly recycling their batteries and small old electricals. Watch one here:
Household batteries can be recycled at most supermarkets.
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