Fires ignite waste warning

A South Australian company has released footage of a waste truck fire in the hope it draws attention to the dangers of incorrect battery disposal.

It follows a scourge of fires within the waste and recycling sector, including four in just a month at the City of Canterbury Bankstown, New South Wales.

Earlier this month, Australia’s peak waste and recycling industry organisations joined together to call for urgent action on the growing hazard posed by batteries and electronics in conventional waste and recycling streams, citing about 30 battery-related fires occurring daily across the country — more than 10,000 fires a year.

The Victorian Waste Management Association is hosting a free seminar on 8 November to update councils, transport, waste and resource recovery operators on the state’s initiatives to tackle the growing challenge.

And the Waste Recycling Industry Association (QLD) this week co-ordinated a roundtable involving national environment protection authorities and waste and recycling providers.

Megan Bekesi, Leader of Education and Promotions for EastWaste in South Australia, said incorrect disposal of items with embedded batteries continues to be dangerous and costly.

“We’re seeing the prevalence of fires caused by incorrect disposal of batteries in bins often, just within our small fleet,” she said.

“It shows the scale of the issue, it’s affecting all of us.

“No batteries whatsoever should be disposed of in any kerbside bins.”

On Tuesday, a fire caused at least $150,000 damage to an EastWaste collection truck in the Adelaide Hills. No one was hurt in the incident.

Bekesi said the driver saw the explosion through cameras in the back of the truck and immediately notified SA Country Fire Service (CFS).

She said drivers are well trained in the safe dropping of material onto a road to mitigate the risk of the fire worsening, however in this instance CFS initially advised against tipping the load due to a possible grass fire hazard.

“These fires have become such a prevalent issue because there are a lot of embedded batteries and people aren’t aware of how volatile they are, or difficult to extinquish,” Bekesi said.

“It’s quite terrifying and it’s been left with industry to deal with.”

Earlier this week the City of Canterbury Bankstown urged residents to recycle right and not put dangerous items in the bin, following four garbage truck fires in a month.

One of the latest incidents occurred when a large lithium battery was thrown in a recycling bin at an apartment block.

Dramatic footage of the incident shows the truck’s load catching fire before being driven for a nerve-racking seven minutes to a safe dumping location. Fire and Rescue NSW was called to the scene to extinguish the flames.

In another incident, a fire was sparked inside a garbage truck when a metal container full of flammable liquid was thrown in the red bin. The driver was able to quickly dump the load, where the chemical container was found still smouldering.

And only days earlier, a gas cylinder that was thrown in the red bin exploded in another garbage truck. Staff heard the bang and were able to dump the smouldering load before it caught on fire.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said throwing batteries and other harmful chemicals in the bin will only fuel the next emergency, putting the community and drivers at risk.

“We’re lucky that our drivers were able to escape from these recent incidents unharmed, but I don’t want to see anyone hurt,” El-Hayek said.

“Our drivers are here to serve the community and, like everyone else, they deserve to go home to their families safely.”