News / Bristol Waste
Fire at Bristol Waste depot prompts warning over public battery disposal
Bristol Waste is calling on the public to safely dispose of batteries, after a fire broke out at one of their waste depots.
The fire broke out at Bristol Waste’s Albert Road depot on Friday, October 14, after flammable items wrongly placed in recycling caught fire.
Footage released of the explosion shows the waste disposal machinery catching fire three times as the fire suppressors are activated.
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Craig Powell, contract manager of processing at Bristol Waste, was on site when the fire broke out: “We heard the explosion, which is when you see the debris fly in the air, within seconds there were flames.
“We were lucky with this one; the fire systems we have in place ensured it was controlled before it became too big. However, these types of fires, if we were on a residential street, could cause untold damage.”
Flammable items include batteries and gas canisters, which often end up with cans and plastic recycling.
Batteries contain heavy metals including lead, mercury, zinc and lithium, which can be recycled to make new batteries and other products.
However if they are not binned correctly, batteries can explode in the crushing process and set fire to dry and flammable waste, causing explosions that are difficult to extinguish and can become deadly.
Bristol Waste says it has seen an increase in fires due to the wrongful disposal of flammable materials in recycling.
The safest way to dispose of batteries is to place them in a clear bag and put them in the black recycling box, according to Bristol Waste.
They are also asking residents to check for ‘hidden batteries’ inside small electrical items such as disposable e-cigarettes, including elf bars, toothbrushes, shavers, chargers and toys.
Lithium-ion batteries are responsible for around 48 per cent (over 200) of all waste fires occurring in the UK each year according to the Environmental Services Association, costing some £158 million annually to waste operators, fire services and the environment.
Main photo: Bristol Waste Youtube
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