“Shocking” new footage released on International E-Waste Day by Bristol Waste shows the dangers of binning batteries, Bristol Waste says.
Bristol Waste is the city’s local recycling, waste collection and street cleansing company. The film shows a fire breaking out at the Albert Road depot caused by flammable items, such as batteries and gas canisters, being wrongly placed with cans and plastic recycling, the company says.
Bristol Waste says it has seen instances of batteries and gas cannisters ending up in the bin or wrong recycling boxes and causing fires on the rise.
The company has recorded seven fires this year, which it says were all caused by flammable items being wrongly put in the recycling.
Craig Powell, Contract Manager, Processing for Bristol Waste, was onsite when the fire in the film broke out. He said: “We heard the explosion, which is when you see the debris fly in the air, within seconds there were flames. We’re lucky with this one; the fire systems we have in place ensured it was controlled before it became too big. However, these types of fires, if we were on a residential street, could cause untold damage.
We heard the explosion, which is when you see the debris fly in the air, within seconds there were flames.
“People think because they are empty or flat, cannisters and batteries are safe, but they act like little bombs, which are surrounded by dry flammable recycling – it’s really dangerous. But keeping us all safe is simple, just separate your batteries and place them in a clear, untied bag in your black recycling box, and take cannisters to the recycling centre.”
Bristol Waste is calling on Bristol residents to make sure they are recycling their batteries and gas cannisters safely, and never putting them in the wheelie bin. It says this means placing them in a clear bag and putting it in the black recycling box.
They’re also asking residents to check for “hidden batteries” that are inside small electrical items such as disposable e-cigarettes, toothbrushes, shavers, chargers and toys. These items with “hidden batteries” also tend to be the electricals that people don’t realise contain batteries.
Residents need to either remove the batteries or if not possible, place the items in a separate, clear, untied bag and place them with the black recycling box for collection as a small electrical item, Bristol Waste says.
Batteries should be placed in a clear bag and placed in the black recycling boxes.
If batteries, or electricals containing batteries, are not properly separated they can end up being crushed in the waste and recycling process. This increases the chances that they will be punctured and self-combust, setting fire to dry and flammable waste and recycling around them, Bristol Waste says.
SHEQ Director at Bristol Waste, Lucy Edgar, said: “Batteries are filled with precious materials that can go on to have a new life if recycled properly – but put in the wrong place, they can be lethal.
“Batteries should be placed in a clear bag and placed in the black recycling boxes. The clear bag stops them from getting wet, and ensures our crews can see what they are.”
