Batteries Causing Garbage Truck Fires
How do you dispose of your batteries once they’ve done their duty? If you’ve been chucking them in the garbage you might be putting someone’s life at risk.
There have been several fires in garbage trucks in the Eastern suburbs due to people disposing of lithium batteries in their general waste. Earlier this month council staff escaped luckily without injury after the contents of their rubbish truck caught on fire during a routine collection. In the last 12 months, there have been 6 fires in Waverley Council’s garbage trucks.
The fire is caused by lithium batteries igniting rubbish inside the compactor when it was compressed with other waste inside the truck. We spoke with Waverley Council Mayor Paula Masselos to find out more.
You can dispose of batteries safely at Aldi, Officeworks, major retailers, EPA recycling centre and councils. To find a recycling drop-off near you visit Planet Ark’s recyclenearyou.com.au
