Gigantes Group’s Post

Another good article on batteries causing fires at waste and recycling facilities. When is the waste industry going to try to ban these dangerous materials from disposal? It’s illegal to dispose toxic material in the trash. The same rule should apply to batteries.

Batteries are causing fires at waste and recycling facilities, and it's time for the waste industry to take action. If it's illegal to dispose of toxic materials in the trash, why not apply the same rule to batteries? Let's work together to ensure the proper disposal of batteries and prevent dangerous fires from happening. #WasteManagement #Recycling #BatteryDisposal #SafetyFirst

There were more than 300 fires a year at UK waste and recycling plants between 2001 and 2013. These types of fires present a significant environmental hazard, endanger human life and inflict a major cost on companies in property damage and lost business. Last year a fire at a plant in Sutherland burned for 25 days before being extinguished; it not only damaged the production line of the recycling Centre but affected the air quality of the surrounding area and compromised water sources. The materials handled at recycling plants are extremely combustible - wood, plastic, and cardboard etc - so it is important that waste handling businesses take as many precautions as they can to limit the risk of fire. Many firms store large amounts of waste in single stacks packed close together and once a fire breaks out it is difficult for the fire service to extinguish it. The Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) issued guidance in April 2017 aimed at reducing the number of fires at waste and recycling facilities. Recommendations included installing sprinklers and other fire suppression systems through to training staff in firefighting and evacuation procedures. The public are also to blame for one third of waste facility fires (source WISH) through their actions of by putting “hot or hazardous materials” in their household recycling bins. Materials such as hot ashes, lithium batteries, gas cylinders, aerosols and flammable liquids. It is generally thought the number of fires at waste facilities caused by lithium batteries is on the increase. According to WISH the public need to be warned against putting batteries in their recycling bins and instead should be educated about the need to place them in dedicated bins such as though found at municipal household recycling centre. Fires at waste and recycling facilities can also be caused by fires in the machinery and vehicles they use. In July 2018 a fire at facility in Caythorpe Lincolnshire, which 40 firefighters attended, arose from an overheating shredder. WE FIT Firetrace the leading manufacturer and installer of automatic fire suppression systems in the IRELAND . The Firetrace system stops fires where they start. To find out how Firetrace can protect your loaders, heavy plant, electric panels and conveyors contact our team today contact us today

E-waste has no place in landfill – especially when we have the technology and processes to ethically manage and recycle it.   WA recently joined Victoria and the ACT in banning e-waste from landfill, marking another positive step toward tackling the war on waste.   The WA Government stated:   “It is important to increase the recovery of valuable materials in many electrical items which are lost when sent to landfill. The aim is also to protect the environment from hazardous materials contained in e-waste and protect people.”   We recognised this more than a decade ago and have built our proprietary, end-to-end, large scale recycling process to divert up to 100% of end of life electronics and avoid the detrimental after-effects of inappropriate handling.   For these state-based bans to be truly effective, we are calling for a national, system-wide approach. We’re actively working with peak bodies and government organisations to get us all there.   Read more about the details of the WA ban here: https://lnkd.in/guaA6_2R 

FIREGUARD CAN HELP YOU REDUCE THE FIRE RISK IN YOUR WASTE COMPANY There were more than 300 fires a year at UK waste and recycling plants between 2001 and 2013. These types of fires present a significant environmental hazard, endanger human life and inflict a major cost on companies in property damage and lost business. Last year a fire at a plant in Sutherland burned for 25 days before being extinguished; it not only damaged the production line of the recycling Centre but affected the air quality of the surrounding area and compromised water sources. The materials handled at recycling plants are extremely combustible - wood, plastic, and cardboard etc - so it is important that waste handling businesses take as many precautions as they can to limit the risk of fire. Many firms store large amounts of waste in single stacks packed close together and once a fire breaks out it is difficult for the fire service to extinguish it. The Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) issued guidance in April 2017 aimed at reducing the number of fires at waste and recycling facilities. Recommendations included installing sprinklers and other fire suppression systems through to training staff in firefighting and evacuation procedures. The public are also to blame for one third of waste facility fires (source WISH) through their actions of by putting “hot or hazardous materials” in their household recycling bins. Materials such as hot ashes, lithium batteries, gas cylinders, aerosols and flammable liquids. It is generally thought the number of fires at waste facilities caused by lithium batteries is on the increase. According to WISH the public need to be warned against putting batteries in their recycling bins and instead should be educated about the need to place them in dedicated bins such as though found at municipal household recycling centre. Fires at waste and recycling facilities can also be caused by fires in the machinery and vehicles they use. In July 2018 a fire at facility in Caythorpe Lincolnshire, which 40 firefighters attended, arose from an overheating shredder.   WE FIT Firetrace the leading manufacturer and installer of automatic fire suppression systems in the IRELAND . The Firetrace system stops fires where they start. To find out how Firetrace can protect your loaders, heavy plant, electric panels and conveyors contact our team today contact us today

🚨 Urgent: Safeguard Waste Disposal! 🔥♻️ Recent fires in garbage trucks due to lithium-ion batteries emphasize the need for responsible waste management. Proposed IL legislation calls for manufacturers to prevent battery disposal in regular waste, ensuring proper marking and safe collection sites. 🌍🔋 Environmental concerns halted a garbage shipping plan downstate, emphasizing the importance of safe waste disposal. Let's advocate for responsible waste management to keep communities safe and eco-friendly! 🛑🏭 #WasteManagement #BatterySafety #Sustainability 🔄🔗 https://lnkd.in/eP_CCFtf

With all the focus the waste and recycling industry has put into its fire prevention efforts, why are fire incidents in waste and recycling facilities still increasing https://lnkd.in/dU3gpfhD

"Potential future phases of the e-waste to landfill ban in WA are likely to include more items once material recovery pathways are established. For instance, future bans may be brought into effect once the Australian Government has committed to developing a regulatory scheme to reduce waste from small electrical products and solar photovoltaic systems." Still a ways to go for reuse as intended and repair to be considered so that the nation moves beyond recycling and downcycling. Small electrical household appliances should not be ending up in landfill before end-of-use. #ewaste #westernaustralia #appliances

Waste management is challenging no matter where it is, Houston is no exception. Read our Trash Talk blog on the ins and outs of waste management in Houston, TX! https://lnkd.in/gKdeBMcx

Our research with local authorities has found that there were over 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste centres across the UK over the past year. This is a 71% increase from 700 in 2022. This research has been featured on BBC Breakfast this morning and across other national and regional media titles. See below for the BBC feature! When electricals containing hidden batteries and loose batteries are thrown in the bin, they can be crushed or damaged in bin lorries and waste centres. This can lead to serious and dangerous fires. Our latest research, conducted by Opinium, revealed that 1.6 billion batteries were binned in the last year - averaging over 3,000 every minute. These fires are challenging for fire services to deal with, can take days to put out, and endanger lives of staff working on lorries and at waste plants. They also have a significant impact on local communities, including spikes in air pollution. We know from local authorities and the fire services that the problem is getting worse. That’s why we are re-launching our "Stop Battery Fires'' campaign, in partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council. The campaign will raise awareness about the dangers of binning batteries and electricals and help people across the UK to understand how to recycle them safely. Please help us spread this message and remind people to never bin hidden and loose batteries. Download our communications assets to share across your channels and help prevent battery fires in your local area: https://bit.ly/3Uzzz5I And if you have hidden and loose batteries, always recycle them separately from your household waste and recycling. Use our Recycling Locator to find your nearest battery and electrical recycling point: https://bit.ly/3QDk4bE A big thank you to our partners for their support for this campaign: National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Imperial College London, Paul Christensen at Newcastle University, Firechief® Global , Environmental Services Association, Zurich UK, Currys plc, Welcome to SHOOK, december19 | B Corp™ , Truant, and to all UK local authorities and national fire departments who provided data and insight to help inform our research.