Improperly disposed batteries aren’t as harmless as they seem, as these have caused a string of fires across NSW, prompting a response from Council’s looking to address the issue.
An incident occurred in the village of Monteagle last week, leading to a truck being destroyed due to a suspected exploding battery, meant the temporary closure of the landfill site in the community, with residents having to take their rubbish to Young, nearly 20 kilometres away.
This prompted Mayor Brian Ingram to tell the media that the public should be aware of the cost of a single battery explosion, citing the ruined truck.
Two RFS tankers, two pumpers and a bulk water truck were allocated and extinguished the fire.
Another fire, believed to have been sparked by a lithium battery, ignited at Wagga Wagga’s Gregadoo Waste Management Centre last Wednesday. The fire posed a severe threat to infrastructure and homes as it burned through 55 hectares.
The NSW government recently launched its “never bin a battery” campaign in a bid to improve safe battery disposal across the state, following a rise in battery-related fires.
More information on disposal sites can be found on the Environment Protection Authority website.
Lithium batteries have become a huge concern for landfill operators and can cause incredible danger if they are in a bin.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) said landfill fires were resource-intensive as they burn for hours and even potentially weeks. RFS said they can be very difficult to put out due to the depth of waste, making it unclear just where the burning is originating from.
“Whilst they generally don’t go anywhere, they can be notoriously difficult to put out because there’s a lot of depth in the waste and we just don’t know how deep that fire is burning.”
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