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Avoid a Bin-cident with your batteries
Avoid a Bin-cident with your batteries
18 September 2023
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Avoid a BINCIDENT....
There have been several reports of fires at waste facilities and in bin trucks this year. Although waste fires pose a year-round risk, this increases during the summer months when waste material is very dry and much more flammable. Dangerous items, such as camping gas or BBQ ashes are also more commonly used in the summer and great care must be taken when disposing of all flammable materials.
The most common culprits for waste fires include:
Batteries (account for around 50% of all waste fires)
Vape devices
Compressed gas canisters – such as patio or camping gas, aerosols and (more recently) nitrous oxide
Barbecue or firepit ashes (make sure they are completely cold before disposal)
Flammable liquids – such as petrol, lighter fluid and spirits (classed as hazardous waste)
Batteries can be recycled at recycling centres and most large stores. Vapes contain batteries and can be recycled at recycling centres with electrical items or via retail take back schemes. Empty aerosols can be recycled through your home recycling bins and gas canisters and nitrous oxide canisters at recycling centres. For more information on how to dispose of these and other items correctly please visit our recycling A-Z
A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the Environmental Services Association (ESA) found that most consumers lack confidence about how to safely dispose of many of the items listed above, and this lack of knowledge likely contributes to them being discarded improperly.
