A waste lorry fire in Batford has prompted the launch of an awareness campaign around the dangers of unsafe battery disposal.
The fire last Tuesday took place in one of St Albans City & District Council’s vehicles and required swift action from both the refuse crew and Hertfordshire Fire Service, which arrived within four minutes of being called to the scene.
According to the council, the Veolia crew had expelled the waste onto the street after noticing the smoke, with motorists and pedestrians being told to clear the area.
After the fire had been extinguished by the crew, it was determined that the blaze had been caused by a battery that was wrongly discarded with household waste.
Furthermore, Veolia is now campaigning to promote awareness about these incidents, which happen roughly once a day across its services.
Lawrence Foley, Contract Manager at Veolia St Albans, said: ‘We urge residents to visit the St Albans Council website to check how to safely dispose of items before putting them in their household bins. Small actions like carefully separating waste can have a huge impact on our people and the essential services they deliver.’
Cllr Edgar Hill, the Council’s Lead for Waste and Recycling, added: ‘This is a striking example of the serious dangers posed by discarded batteries which can nowadays be found in all sorts of personal and household items including vapes and toys.’
Photo: Smouldering rubbish after being ejected from a bin collection truck in Common Lane, Harpenden © St Albans City & District Council
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