Warning issued after Anglesea e-waste fire

A FIRE at the Anglesea Transfer Station last week has prompted warnings from local emergency services about the dangers of incorrectly disposing e-waste such as batteries and battery chargers.

A spokesperson for the CFA confirmed two vehicles, one from Torquay and one from Anglesea, responded to the small blaze at the landfill site on Coalmine Road at about 6.20am on Tuesday, January 7.

The incident was declared under control at 6.39am and safe at 7.13am. No one was injured.

The CFA volunteers on the scene attributed the fire to e-waste that had been incorrectly disposed in the transfer station’s general waste area, rather than in the dedicated e-waste bins.

According to Surf Coast Shire general manager of place making and environment Chris Pike, the fire self-combusted about 12 hours after staff had left the site, and investigations have been unable to determine exactly what started the fire.

CFA Surf Coast district commander Wayne Aylmer said an increase in electronic devices and battery-operated toys in homes across the region had also corresponded with a rise in the number of these items being discarded inappropriately.

Reports from local landfill operators suggest there has been a further increase in recent week in instances of e-waste being disposed of incorrectly, potentially as a result of families moving on items, such as old toys, to make room for new items purchased over the Christmas period.

“The issue is a lot of the lithium batteries – a lot of the e-waste generally has lithium batteries in it – which don’t like being run over my machinery or thrown into bins,” Mr Aylmer said.

He encouraged the community to take extra care when disposing of e-waste, noting transfer stations across the shire offer free battery recovery services, as do several large retail outlets, such as ALDI.

 

 

Mr Pike said the shire was seeing instances of batteries and e-waste being disposed of inappropriately on a daily basis.

“We also know from our contractor Cleanaway, who collect the kerbside rubbish bins for us, fires regularly start in rubbish trucks from batteries and e-waste being compacted.

“Batteries and e-waste that make it as far as the landfill, transfer station or recycling facility can be a risk of starting a fire if not stored and handled correctly.”

These items, he said, were not only a fire risk but could leach dangerous chemicals into the environment.

“We try to make it easy by not charging for the safe drop off of e-waste or batteries at our transfer stations.

“There are specific bins set aside. Batteries can also be dropped at numerous other locations for free.”

While the incorrect disposal of e-waste is the primary cause of fires at landfill sites, recycling facilities and in waste collection trucks, the rise of battery-operated and electronic devices in homes also poses its own risks.

“We’re also seeing issues in properties from poor use of some of these batteries, charging faults and [similar problems],” Mr Aylmer said.

He urged community members to charge batteries in areas of the home where a smoke detector has been installed, or to install additional detectors in areas where batteries are regularly charged.

“If you’re changing a lot of batteries in your garage, a smoke detector in the garage is a great idea because, at least, if you have a failure or something, you’re detecting that earlier than when you start noticing smoke and things have gotten a little bit worse,” he said.

For a full list of e-waste drop off locations, head to surfcoast.vic.gov.au/batteries or download the Surf Coast Rubbish and Recycling app (SCRRApp).