The year is off to a fiery start for Auckland’s waste trucks with five rubbish and recycling vehicle fires in the first two weeks of January, the Auckland Council says.
An ever-increasing number of battery-powered devices and batteries in household bins are the most-likely cause of the fires.
Lithium-ion batteries can ignite if damaged or crushed as part of the waste collection process, says the council.
“In December, nearly 600 laptops and more than 300 12-volt batteries found their way to Auckland’s regional recycling facility, in what appears to have been a pre-Christmas offload by Aucklanders.”
They account for almost a third of the total number of laptops and 12V batteries found at the site since June.
The Auckland recycling facility, which sorts all the region’s kerbside recycling, has one or two small fires a week with the cause most often attributed to lithium-ion batteries.
Waste Solutions’ general manager Justine Haves says she’s keen to ensure residents, workers and ratepayers understand that putting e-waste in kerbside bins creates a fire hazard.
“Electronic devices and batteries can be recycled in most cases, but they contain hazardous substances so require specialist handling.
“We encourage people to use takeback and drop-off schemes run by retailers and local community recycling centres,” Haves says.
“Making use of battery and e-waste drop-off options helps keep you and our staff safe, keeps harmful materials out of the environment, and helps us recover and reuse valuable resources.”
Batteries and devices containing lithium-ion batteries present a high-risk source of fires for both rubbish and recycling collection trucks and waste facilities, the council says.
“The combination of flammable electrolyte, with substantial amounts of stored energy, can result in the rapid and uncontrolled release of heat energy (thermal runaway).
“During thermal runaway, toxic gases are emitted and can reignite even after being extinguished.”
To try and mitigate the dangers of rubbish truck fires, the council’s Waste Solutions team says it’s planning a new programme of testing to give an early warning to a truck driver experiencing a fire and options for extinguishing it inside the vehicle.
“This would also reduce the potential for environmental contamination when the load is tipped-out for Fire and Emergency responders to extinguish,” says the council.
Drivers who notice smoke or a fire coming from their truck presently must notify their supervisor, who contacts Fire and Emergency, and then finds a safe clear place to empty their load.
“Batteries are not the only fire hazards placed in bins,” says the council.
“In January, a half-full 40kg LPG bottle and a partially full jerry can of petrol were discovered by recycling truck drivers.
“Over 300 LPG bottles and gas canisters have been recorded in the past six months at the recycling facility alone.”
- Auckland Council explains how to safely dispose of hazardous materials – battery-powered devices, batteries, gas bottles and other hazardous materials:
- Mitre 10 and Bunnings have battery drop-off schemes. Check their websites for more information.
- Retailers often have takeback schemes for used battery-powered devices they have sold. Some large retailers such as Noel Leeming allow people to bring in items they did not sell. Check retailer websites for what they accept and participating stores.
- Many local community recycling centres have e-waste recycling and even volunteer opportunities to learn how to safely disassemble laptops.
- Gas bottles and canisters can be taken to a community recycling centre or to a MataGas outlet provided it’s empty of gas. Some New Zealand camping stores sell a tool that enables canisters to be fully emptied prior to drop off at a recycling centre.
- Visit aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/whereitgoes to search for places to recycle or get rid of specific items.
