PRESS RELEASE - Discarded battery causes fire

On Tuesday 27 April, a battery that was put out in a waste sack in Edenbridge exploded in the back of a Sevenoaks District Council refuse truck, resulting in a small fire.

The quick thinking waste collection crew removed the battery after they heard the explosion, which subsequently caught fire. Thankfully, the team carry a fire extinguisher and were able to put out the fire straight away.

Luckily, no one was hurt thanks to the crew’s actions, but it could have been much worse. Had the team not stopped the vehicle, investigated and dealt with the problem, the refuse truck was in danger of catching fire.

The Council is reminding residents never to put any kind of battery in their waste as it puts their staff in danger.

Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, Cllr Margot McArthur, says: “It is very dangerous to put any kind of batteries into your waste sacks, regardless of their size. The inside of refuse trucks are hot, meaning batteries can heat up and set alight quickly. We’re really proud of the way our team handled the situation but we are urging residents to not let this happen again.

“Please always take domestic batteries to your local supermarket recycling points and larger batteries to the Household Waste Recycling Centre.”

To find out more about what you can and can’t put in your sacks visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/refusesacks