After four garbage trucks have caught fire in just one month, the City of Canterbury-Bankstown has urged residents to recycle right and be conscious of what they put in the bin.
One of the latest incidents occurred when a large lithium battery was thrown in a recycling bin at a Lakemba apartment block.
A garbage truck’s rear-mounted camera captured footage showing the truck’s load catching fire before being driven for a nerve-racking seven minutes to a safe dumping location. Fire and Rescue NSW were called to the scene to extinguish the flames.
In another incident, a fire was sparked inside a garbage truck when a metal container full of flammable liquid was thrown in the red bin. The driver was able to quickly dump the load, where the chemical container was found still smouldering.
And only days earlier, a gas cylinder that was thrown in the red bin exploded in another garbage truck. Staff heard the bang and were able to dump the smouldering load before it caught on fire.
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor, Bilal El-Hayek, urged all residents to think twice about what they are putting in the bin.
“Throwing batteries and other harmful chemicals in the bin will only fuel the next emergency, putting our community and drivers at risk,” Mayor El-Hayek said.
“We’re lucky that our drivers were able to escape from these recent incidents unharmed, but I don’t want to see anyone hurt.
“Our drivers are here to serve the community and, like everyone else, they deserve to go home to their families safely.”
Council is dropping off flyers on the streets that the incidents may have originated, to educate community members on safe chemical and electrical disposal including Council’s regular cleanout events.
The next Chemical CleanOut Day will be held on Sunday 3 November at Campsie Administration Building. Any harmful products with toxic, corrosive, flammable or oxidising agent labels can be disposed of for free at the CleanOut. This includes pool chemicals, old paint tins, batteries, gas cylinders, motor oils and more.
Electrical items such as computers, TV’s, phone and small appliances can be dropped off at Council’s free electrical waste collection on 11 November at Campsie Administration Building.
