‘Think Before you Bin Batteries’ Call after Bin Wagon Fires
Think before you bin batteries – that’s the message to Ribble Valley residents after two fires in refuse vehicles.
You are urged to dispose of batteries correctly after battery chemicals combusted in the back of bin wagons in two separate incidents in Ribble Valley.
Alert refuse collectors quickly extinguished the fires, which caused no serious damage to the vehicles
Lithium-ion batteries, typically found in anything rechargeable, such as laptops and mobile phones; nickel-cadmium batteries found in remote controls and all other rechargeable batteries contain chemicals that can ignite.
As such they feature a crossed out bin symbol indicating they cannot be disposed of with household waste.
But now under new laws shops and supermarkets must take back battery waste if they sell more than 32kg of batteries a year.
You can also take them to battery collection points at the Ribble Valley Borough Council Offices, Ribblesdale Pool and Platform Gallery in Clitheroe and household waste disposal centres in Henthorn Road, Clitheroe, and Chapel Hill, Longridge, where they will be stripped and recycled or disposed of as hazardous waste.
Common alkaline batteries are not considered hazardous and can be disposed of with household refuse.
Ricky Newmark, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee, said: “While batteries may seem harmless, many of them are not and incorrect disposal can be dangerous for refuse collection crews, the public and the environment.
“Lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium and rechargeable batteries are among several fire hazards, along with hot ash and unwrapped broken glass, that should not be put in household refuse.
“We are asking residents to dispose of waste batteries carefully and there are plenty of battery recycling bins throughout the borough at shops, supermarkets and even the council offices in Clitheroe.”
Although shops that sell more than 32kg of batteries a year are legally required to have battery collection points, they are not required to collect car and motorbike batteries, or batteries from industrial equipment, which should be disposed of correctly at household waste disposal centres.