Photos: Supplied.
FROM REDLAND CITY COUNCIL
Redlands Coast residents are urged to dispose of batteries correctly and not in kerbside bins following a recent fire in a Redland City Council waste collection truck at Redland Bay.
The suspected cause of the fire is a crushed lithium-ion battery.
Batteries – in particular lithium-ion batteries – can catch fire or, in extreme cases, explode when damaged or exposed to heat sources. They are also harmful to the environment.
Lithium-ion batteries can be found in many powered items including mobile phones, laptops, power tools, electric toothbrushes, vacuums, vapes, children’s toys, e-scooters and e-bikes.
Batteries placed in kerbside bins or in bins at Recycling and Waste Centres can cause fires either in the bin or waste collection trucks, at recycling facilities or in landfill.
This poses a risk to the truck drivers, workers at the facilities, emergency services and the community.
In the Redland Bay incident, the driver of the waste collection truck had to eject the load at the Donald Road Sportsfield carpark, where the Queensland Fire Department was called to extinguish the fire.
A skip bin was then delivered for disposal of the waste and the site was cleared.
This follows three similar incidents this year, with the detection of smoke or fire in waste collection trucks at Capalaba and Ormiston, and at Redland Bay Recycling and Waste Centre.
In each instance, Queensland Fire Department was called and the loads needed to be disposed of in a controlled location.
Residents are urged not to bring lithium-ion or electrical vehicle batteries to Council Recycling and Waste Centres as they are not accepted due to the fire risk. The centres do accept normal vehicle batteries.
For information on local drop-off points for all batteries go to the battery recycling webpage at bcycle.com.au
More information on the risks and safe disposal of lithium-ion batteries is available on the Queensland Fire Department website.
For information on how to dispose of all forms of hazardous waste – including gas bottles, flares, petrol and aerosol cans – visit Council’s website.
