The waste management sector is appealing to the public to avoid throwing batteries into bins following an increase in fires caused by batteries, vapes and electronic devices being discarded in household wheelie bins, skips and public litter bins.
Items including vapes, power banks, cordless tools, e-bikes and e-scooters are showing up more frequently in general waste streams and have become the top cause of fires within the industry, reports RTE.
Clean Ireland Recycling, one of the country’s major waste operators based in Shannon, Co Clare, has dealt with multiple fires in its collection lorries along with damage at one of its facilities.
Managing Director Brian Lyons said the rapid rise of lithium ion batteries used in vapes and electronics is leading to significant safety hazards, reports RTE.
He said the incorrect disposal of these items “puts lives, property, the environment and businesses at risk”,
Mr Lyons urged people not to place batteries in household or public bins and instead bring them to official WEEE or battery drop-off points, reports RTE.
“A fire can begin when a battery is compacted or pierced in a bin lorry. If the casing cracks it can short-circuit, producing intense heat and sudden flames. Inside one of our trucks it can spread in seconds,” he said,
“It only takes one vape or power bank to trigger a serious incident.
“We have had fires start while trucks were on the road, forcing crews to stop, isolate the fire and in conjunction with fire services, unload burning material to save the vehicle.
“There are far too many reports from around the country of waste transfer stations and recycling facilities experiencing fires caused by batteries and other electronics.”, reports RTE.
Mr Lyons said that preventing such incidents “starts with proper disposal” and that using the correct drop-off facilities helps safeguard homes, vehicles and recycling infrastructure.
Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) Secretary Conor Walsh said he wants the bring-back system required across all electrical retailers, reports RTE.
“DID Electrical and PowerCity are really good at the take back scheme because they have cages at the front of the store and it’s very obvious when people arrive that they can bring back goods there.”,
The IWMA is also proposing a deposit return scheme for vapes, reports RTE.
“That would be very simple,” he said, “Put €2 on every vape that is bought and you get your €2 back when you go buy the next one.
“That would really help a lot because we need to incentivise people to go the extra yard and bring this material back to where they bought it, rather than just throw it in the bin where it’s going to cause a lot of trouble for our members, and risk to life from these fires.”, reports RTE.
Members of the public can contact their local recycling facility or visit MyWaste.ie for guidance on how to dispose of batteries and electronic devices safely.
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