Warning to dispose of household batteries properly

Published on 25 June 2021

A fire in a Council waste truck this week is a reminder to everyone to think carefully about what they are putting into their wheelie bins.

The driver of Council’s waste collection truck noticed smoke coming from the back of the truck while emptying wheelie bins at Billinudgel on Tuesday 22 June.

The fire brigade was called and the contents of the truck emptied to ensure the fire could be extinguished at the source. Fortunately, no one was hurt, however the truck was badly damaged.

At this stage it is believed the cause of the fire was household batteries, as they are a common cause of fires in bin collection trucks. A gas bottle was also found in the waste load. 

Danielle Hanigan, Acting Manager Resource Recovery, said it’s a reminder to everyone to think carefully about what they put into their bins.

“Household batteries not only have the potential to start fires, but they also contain toxic substances such as mercury, cadmium, lithium and lead which should not go into landfill,” Ms Hanigan said.

“Importantly – these substances can be recycled and used in other products, so we urge people to recycle their household batteries,” she said.

“There have been 700 fires in waste trucks in Australia in the last year, most of which are believed to have been started by household batteries and other materials which should not have been put into household bins in the first place. 

“We were also very concerned to see the gas bottle that had been put into the waste bin because this also has the potential to be very dangerous,” she said.

Residents can dispose of house and car batteries, gas bottles and other problem items such as smoke detectors and fluro globes for free at the Community Recycling Centre at the Byron Resource Recovery Centre.

There are also specialty recycling stations for the disposal of batteries, mobile phones and fluro globes at:

Information on recycling is available on Council’s website.

For media enquiries contact Annie Lewis, Media and Communications Coordinator, on 02 6626 7320.