Smouldering rubbish spotted by quick-thinking crew

A quick-thinking waste collection crew that spotted rubbish smouldering in the back of their refuse collection vehicle have been praised. 

The team from the council’s contractor Canenco grabbed a fire extinguisher and took action before a serious fire could take hold while emptying bins in Glenside, Whitstable on Tuesday (24 September). 

The incident was caused by some lithium-ion batteries left in a cardboard box which were taken back to the depot by a supervisor. 

The near miss comes almost a year to day when a car battery caused a serious fire in a refuse collection vehicle in Valley Road, Canterbury (below).

Firefighters were called to put out the blaze and had to cut the roof off. 

And in February last year, we reported fires in three refuse lorries over a period of weeks (below).

Cllr Charlotte Cornell, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Council Services, Culture and Heritage, said: “It’s a massive well done from me to the crew for spotting the danger and dealing with it in such a cool and calm manner.

“But they shouldn’t have to. Everyone needs to dispose of batteries properly – they cannot go in your normal bin.

“By being a little bit lazy, some residents are putting the lives of crews at risk, risk diverting firefighters from other emergencies, could be responsible for the release of harmful chemicals and, quite frankly, could disrupt other people’s collections and destroy expensive equipment.”

Used batteries from household items such as children’s toys, mobile phones, remote controls, laptops and watches cannot be thrown away in domestic waste bins because they can cause fires once damaged and the chemicals inside them are released.

Being crushed by a refuse lorry compactor is a really good example.

Batteries used for domestic purposes can be taken to:

• local household waste recycling centres (aka ‘the tip’)
• supermarkets
• electrical shops
• participating libraries
• participating schools

Car batteries should be taken to your local household waste recycling centre, also known as the tip.

Find your nearest battery recycling point at takecharge.org.uk.

David Maidman, Canenco’s Managing Director, said: “There are some simple things we can all do to limit the damage caused by batteries including removing batteries from products to recycle them separately, using rechargeable batteries and selling or donating working battery-powered electronic items instead of throwing them away.

“For advice on what items of waste go in which bin or need to be taken to the tip, use our online where to put your waste tool.”

Published: 27 September 2024