North Kesteven District Council issues warning over disposal of household batteries following fire in Newton

A district council has issued a warning to residents about the dangers of binning batteries following a fire.

On Monday morning (November 13), North Kesteven District Council were collecting household bin waste in Newton, near Sleaford, and collectors noticed a burning smell coming from the back of their vehicle.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called to the incident and identified the cause as a lithium-ion battery that was placed in a household bin, resulting in sparks that ignited a fire after it was crushed in the bin lorry.

The lorry was undamaged and the team were able to carry on their round and a street scene team cleared the waste from the road with the help of a local farmer.

Nina Camm, street scene manager and NKDC, said: “Our very simple plea to customers is not to put any battery, electrical item or vape into any household waste bin, or indeed any waste bin.

“We have seen here how easily they can cause a fire and I ask you, please do not put the safety of our crews at risk.”

Instead of disposing of batteries in household bins, they can be taken to a local household waste recycling centre.

Batteries can also be taken to supermarkets and other shops that sell batteries.

More information on how to recycle batteries and other electronics can be found at https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/waste.

Dan Moss, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s area manager for prevention and protection, said: “Fires at waste sites or in vehicles can often be difficult to extinguish, and can have serious effects on public health, the environment, and the safety of firefighters and local communities.

“As waste is compacted and bulked together, there’s plenty of material for fire to spread quickly, and, depending on the type of waste burning, the fumes can be especially dangerous.”

Neighbouring district South Kesteven District Council has recently approved the introduction of a battery recycling scheme across the district.

This was after seven tonnes of waste caught on fire near Ingoldsby in March of this year, as a result of a battery fire.

SKDC’s battery scheme would see a kerbside collection where residents provided bags to dispose of the batteries.