Two close calls from battery fires in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire Council is urging residents to keep batteries out of household bins due to the risk of fire following two close calls at the start of the year.
Once thrown in a bin, batteries can ignite when crushed or punctured, sparking fires that destroy infrastructure, endanger workers, threaten our natural environment, and disrupt local communities.
The local authority has two such close calls recently:
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On 5 February in the containers shed in Inverurie where the team at the waste transfer station managed to contain the fire.
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On 22 January in Banchory’s waste transfer station during the loading of a waste lorry where, with thanks to the diligence of the shed operative the fire was quickly extinguished.
Councillor Alan Turner, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “We are fortunate to have such quick-thinking staff. A fire in a waste shed would have a significant impact on waste collections and that’s before we consider the cost of rebuilding or the harm a fire of that size could do to our local environment.
“Residents across Aberdeenshire can help to ensure the safety of council staff and the continuity of their bin collections by removing batteries wherever possible and recycling them separately from electricals—and never putting them in their household bins.”
Batteries contain valuable materials like lead, nickel, zinc, and cobalt which can be recycled again and again—if they aren’t thrown out or set aflame.
Depending on their size, used batteries can go...
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To local recycling points (many supermarkets have drop-off bins)
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To household recycling centres, which accept larger batteries in the WEEE containers
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In the freely available pink household battery bags that can be filled and placed on top of kerbside wheelie bins for collection
Household battery bags are available for free from local household recycling centres, libraries, or service points. An empty battery bag can also be tied to a household’s kerbside bin and the collection crew will leave a new roll where stock is available.
When residents recycle their batteries, the materials they are made from will become new products, including more batteries and materials for the steel industry. Throw them away, and they are gone for good.