Residents of Hammersmith & Fulham have been urged to prevent fires by not putting flammable items in bins.
Resource management company Veolia, alongside Hammersmith & Fulham Council, claim that one preventable fire is caused per day by such items.
These include disposable vapes, electrical items, batteries and gas canisters, which are extremely flammable when crushed.
Not only can this cause fires, but can also result in burns, chemical exposure and smoke inhalation.
These injuries can be life-threatening and cause costly damage to recycling infrastructure.
Hammersmith & Fulham councillor Sharon Holder said: “By providing convenient recycling points, we’re making it easier than ever for residents to dispose of vapes responsibly.
“It’s a small action that can prevent potentially devastating consequences.”
Vapes and other electrical items pose a threat when loaded into refuse collection vehicles, as the increased pressure can cause fires and explosions.
This puts staff and the general public at risk, as shown in campaign videos across social media.
Veolia’s director of corporate affairs Cory Reynolds has stressed that the staff’s safety will always be the company’s main priority.
Reynolds said: “This campaign is necessary to educate residents on how to ensure their waste is safe, and we ask everyone to make these simple changes that will greatly decrease the chance of fires in collection vehicles and sorting facilities.
“This will have a huge impact on keeping the vital industry we work in safe and ensure that the people that handle waste are kept out of harm’s way whilst protecting the valuable materials residents work hard to separate for recycling.”
Fires caused by batteries in waste are at an all-time high in the UK, having increased by 71% since 2022 according to The Guardian.
Furthermore, two workers narrowly escaped a dangerous incident when a combustible item caused a bin to explode in Barnet on Wednesday.
Used vapes, gas bottles and nitrous oxide canisters can be disposed of at dedicated bins and recycling centres.
Electrical items and batteries can be recycled but must be handled safely at dedicated facilities.
Residents can find their local recycling centre here.
Featured image credit: Nigel Thompson via Geograph
