Residents Urged Not To Bin Electrical Items And Batteries Due To Fire Risk

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has joined forces with Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council to warn residents about the serious fire risks posed by incorrectly disposing of batteries, disposable vapes and electrical items.

Crews across the county are increasingly being called to fires in waste collection vehicles, recycling centre's and waste facilities — many of which are believed to be caused by lithium-ion batteries or electrical components that have been thrown into household waste.

A recent example saw around 165 firefighters deal with a fire in Worksop on 20 August. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident caused significant disruption and damage — and could have been avoided.

Residents are urged to follow this advice to help prevent fires and keep our communities safe:

• Vapes – Used vapes should never be put in household recycling or rubbish bins, or in street litter bins. They can be taken to a local recycling centre or returned to retailers.

• Electrical items – Any items with plugs, cables, or batteries — including hidden ones in children’s toys or toothbrushes — must be taken to a recycling centre or dedicated collection point.

• Batteries – Batteries are highly flammable when crushed and can cause serious fires. Recycle them at a recycling centre or battery collection point — never in household bins.

You can find your nearest recycling centre or check how to recycle specific items by using the Recycling Checker.

Natasha Neale, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager said:  “Unfortunately fires in waste collection vehicles are becoming an increasingly serious risk, and our operational staff are attending more of these incidents, which are often caused by lithium-ion batteries and disposable vapes that have not been thrown away correctly.

“Some of the incidents we have attended have left vehicles and roads badly damaged, with lorries forced to empty burning waste onto the street so we can extinguish the fire – something that is disruptive, costly, and causes environmental harm in our communities.

“By working with Veolia and Nottinghamshire County Council on this dangerous waste campaign, we want to highlight the dangers and urge everyone to dispose of these items following our joint advice. Taking this small step helps prevent fires, protects our crews, and keeps our communities safe.”

Richard Hulland, Chief Risk and Assurance Officer, Northern Europe Zone, said:  “At Veolia we pride ourselves on carrying out essential services whilst putting safety first in the workplace, and we do not accept our people or the communities we serve being put in danger. By partnering with Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service we hope to help the county’s residents  to ensure their waste does not catch fire once it’s collected.

“Making small changes to how we dispose of certain items will greatly decrease the chance of fires at sorting facilities and in collection vehicles. This will have a huge impact on keeping the vital industry we work in safe and ensure that the people that handle waste are kept out of harm’s way whilst protecting the valuable materials residents work hard to separate for recycling.”

Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The fire at Worksop Transfer Station brings home the reality that putting items such as batteries and electricals into waste bins can cause fires.

“This incident has caused significant damage and is a timely reminder to check how best to dispose of items such as batteries, vapes and electricals as not doing so not only puts people at risk but key infrastructure too.

“We are proud to be working alongside Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to raise awareness of the dangers of putting these items in the bin and we encourage residents to make use of our free recycling checker on our website before disposing of these sorts of items.”

Want to see what happens when dangerous items enter the waste stream? Watch real footage and learn more on Veolia's website.