Landfill fires spark calls for correct battery disposal
AlburyCity is urging the community to take greater care when disposing of batteries, following the third landfill fire this year believed to have been caused by their improper disposal.
The latest incident occurred this month in an operational area of the Albury Waste Management Centre. Fortunately, no staff were injured, no major infrastructure was damaged and emergency protocols were followed.
However, the fire served as a serious reminder - no type of battery of any size or kind should be placed in general waste or recycling bins.
AlburyCity’s Assets, Sustainability and Environment Service Leader Steven Millett said discarded batteries posed a growing risk to waste facilities and frontline staff.
“We’re seeing more fires caused by batteries, often from small items that people don’t realise contain them, such as vapes, electric toothbrushes, toys or remote controls. These fires are dangerous and completely avoidable,” Mr Millett said.
“If damaged, batteries can ignite or explode in trucks or landfill, putting staff and infrastructure at risk and interrupting operations. We ask everyone to use one of the many free battery drop-off points across Albury.”
Batteries are the most common hazardous item disposed of by households in Australia, and when sent to landfill they don’t just pose a fire risk, they also leak harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium and mercury.
But batteries are also a valuable resource. Up to 95% of alkaline and lithium battery components can be recycled in Australia, contributing to the production of new batteries, car parts, stainless steel, fertilisers, waste bins and even streetlights.
Despite this, more than two-thirds of the 350 million batteries purchased in Australia each year end up in landfill.
To help the community do the right thing, unwanted household batteries and battery-powered products can be dropped off at the
Albury Recycling Centre, at the Albury Waste Management Centre, or at local drop-off locations listed on the AlburyCity website. Car batteries can also be taken to the Recycling Centre.
Before recycling, residents are reminded to tape any exposed terminals or connection points on used batteries to prevent short-circuits.
For more information and to find your nearest drop-off location, help is at hand here.