Cornwall residents are being urged to help protect rubbish collection crews by making sure batteries don’t end up in the bin. The warning comes following a battery fire on a rubbish collection lorry.
Fortunately, the quick-thinking crew spotted smoke and used fire extinguishers to prevent it from spreading.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service attended and escorted the lorry to the waste transfer station where the load was tipped. Firefighters used jets to make sure the fire was out completely.
Batteries — even small button batteries and ‘dead’ batteries — can ignite when crushed in rubbish collection vehicles, and at sites where waste is processed. An old mobile phone and a power tool battery were found among the rubbish which had caught alight in the lorry. They were determined to be the cause of this fire.
Nick Seviour, senior business manager at Biffa, which Cornwall Council commissions to collect Cornwall’s rubbish and recycling, said: “The crew stayed calm and acted quickly to prevent this incident from escalating. Thanks to their actions, the fire was contained and, fortunately, no-one was hurt.
“We often see batteries in rubbish. I hope this acts a reminder to people to check what they’re putting in the bin and do their bit to keep the crews safe.”
