Cumberland Council is reminding residents never to place batteries in household waste after a potentially serious incident involving an e-bike battery highlighted the risks they can pose.
A waste crew collecting household waste in the Stanwix area today discovered an e-bike battery inside the bin lorry. The battery began to smoke and hiss and showed signs that it was about to catch fire.
The crew acted quickly and safely, with the Fire Service attending the incident. Once the vehicle had returned safely to the depot, almost 10 tonnes of waste had to be emptied onto the depot floor and carefully checked to ensure the battery had not caused a fire to spread.
The battery was safely removed.
Cumberland Councillor Denise Rollo, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said:
“This incident is a stark reminder of just how dangerous it can be to put batteries in your household waste. What might seem like a small item can cause a very serious fire when it is crushed inside a bin lorry.
“Thankfully, our crews spotted the problem and were able to act quickly, but this could have had much more serious consequences for them, our vehicles and the wider community.
“Please don’t bin your batteries. Take a moment to check before putting something in your waste or recycling bin and dispose of batteries and electrical items through the appropriate recycling route.”
Scott Cameron, Group Manager for Prevention and Protection at Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said:
“Lithium-ion batteries are found in many devices used every day, such as smartphones, vapes, or e-bikes, but there is a risk of serious, fast-spreading fires associated with these batteries when they are damaged.
“Please follow manufacturer’s instructions when using or charging these devices and, when the time comes to dispose of them, recycle at your local electrical recycling point”.
Even batteries that appear to be flat can retain enough charge to cause a fire when they are damaged or crushed. Batteries and electrical items should never be placed in general waste or household recycling bins.
Residents are urged to check items carefully before putting them in the bin, particularly electrical items and products containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, such as e-bikes, vapes, laptops, phones and power banks. To find out where you can recycle your batteries, visit Batteries | Recycle Now