South Kesteven council warns residents over battery disposal after bin lorry fires

Residents are being urged to keep old batteries out of their bins following a series of refuse lorry fires in the county.

To keep bin crews and refuse centre workers safe, people should dispose of batteries in dedicated battery bins at retailers or their local household waste recycling centre. This also applies to household items containing batteries, or rechargeable items such as shavers

Lincolnshire County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres are fully open and details of locations and opening hours can be found online at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/recycling-waste/find-recycling-centre

Cllr Mark Whittington, South Kesteven District Council Cabinet member for Waste Services, said: “Batteries and electrical items are a recognised fire hazard, something that is more of a risk when they are compacted in our freighters or damaged when people put them in the household waste. A single spark can easily ignite the lithium they contain, leading to a fire.

“Batteries, chargers, old mobile phones, vape pens and other small devices should not be placed in bins. They need to be disposed of separately because of this inherent risk.

“Recent refuse vehicle fires in Boston and Lincoln resulted in many thousands of pounds of damage, not to mention potential danger through the fire itself or explosions caused by damaged batteries.

“This results in delays to household waste collection, can put vehicles off the road and also takes up fire service resources that could be urgently needed elsewhere. There are also further delays at the transfer station as the remainder of an affected load has to be dealt with separately.

“Please dispose of batteries and electrical items correctly at the appropriate recycling facility. Even commonly used AA and AAA alkaline varieties can start a fire.

“Advice on what items can go in what bin can be found on the SKDC website at www.southkesteven.gov.uk/whichbin”

All electrical items can be disposed of at the Household Waste Recycling Centre. Batteries can be handed over at the Household Waste Recycling Centre or in dedicated battery bins in many local retailers.

There is a handy link to find your nearest supermarket/hardware store disposal point: https://bit.ly/batterySKDC

Battery fires can occur in refuse trucks, potentially harming the crews that operate them. | Photo: South Kesteven District Council