Are you disposing of your batteries and electrical items safely?
Cotswold District Council is calling on residents to dispose of batteries and small electrical items safely using their new kerbside collection service following an incident at Thamesdown Recycling.
During a routine sort at Thamesdown Recycling, an operator noticed the smell of burning from a paper bay on site. A bale of paper was quickly soaked in water and on closer inspection, a piece of electrical equipment was discovered. The fire was caused because the battery was left attached to the device which must have been buried in a black recycling box under some papers.
Cllr Andrew Doherty, Cabinet Member for Recycling, said: “It’s lucky that no one was hurt and a more serious fire was avoided on this occasion. I would like to remind all residents that your new waste and recycling services allow you to safely dispose of batteries and small electrical items at the kerbside.
“You can put small electrical items and batteries inside of one of your black recycling boxes in a carrier bag. However, It is vital you remember to remove all batteries from electrical items where possible, bag them separately and leave at the top of your black recycling boxes where they can be seen easily. This will allow our crews to identify them and make sure they are put in the separate compartment on the vehicle. It will also allow the crew to collect your recycling quickly and protect staff from potential hazards.”
For more information on what you can recycle with the new waste and recycling services in the Cotswolds, please visit our website: https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/what-to-put-in-your-bin/