Perth Voice Interactive

SEVEN tonnes of rubbish had to be dumped on Lincoln Street after discarded batteries started a fire inside a rubbish truck last Monday.

The Highgate street had to be closed off after a fire was detected in the belly of a Cleanaway truck, an increasingly common occurrence with the proliferation of devices, with lithium batteries.

Vincent CEO David MacLennan told the Voice, “the fire was caused by lithium batteries being placed in a residential general waste bin.

“The truck driver followed correct procedures to dump the approximately seven tonnes of waste in a safe open space on a local street to prevent the fire spreading through the truck.”

Traffic management was called in while the Department of Fire and Emergency Services put out the fire, and then Vincent’s waste crew undertook the arduous task of sweeping and clearing the street.

Telltale cells

At the heart of the charred refuse: the telltale cells that line the inside of a lithium battery, the kind typically used to power electric bikes. 

Lithium battery disposals have caused an increasing number of truck fires in recent years. Earlier this City of Wanneroo mayor Linda Aitken announced three fires caused by incorrectly binned batteries in the space of a month, and implored residents to properly dispose of hazardous items.

Mr MacLennan said, “all batteries are classified as household hazardous waste. 

“Batteries cannot be placed in any kerbside bins as they may cause fires in bins or waste trucks which present an environmental and health risk to the community and our waste collection staff.

“Residents can take loose batteries and old rechargeable devices to convenient drop-off points at local supermarkets, office supply shops and local libraries.” Vincent has five: At the library, at Beatty Park Leisure Centre, the Mezz, North Perth Plaza, and at the Highgate Woolworths.

Other hazardous items that are risky when dumped include fluorescent globes and CFL tube lights, mobile phones, and ink cartridges.

by DAVID BELL