Community & Business
22 August, 2024
Fire prompts battery warning
A WARNING has been issued about putting batteries in rubbish bins after a fire broke out in a Mareeba Shire Council waste truck last week.
Council says binned lithium batteries were suspected to have caused the fire.
The so-called “hot load” was dumped on Meldrum Street to avoid damage to the vehicle. The site was cleaned after the fire was contained by the driver utilising a fire extinguisher.
Council is reminding residents that batteries should never go in the bin.
“Disposing of batteries and other combustible and hazardous waste through general waste bins or recycling bins puts our people and equipment in danger due to the risk of fire,” Council said on its Facebook page.
“Please help protect our staff and environment by correctly disposing of combustible and hazardous items.”
Council provides free drop off points for domestic batteries at all transfer stations for recycling. The following batteries are accepted - AA, AAA, C, D and all other common household battery types; removable battery packs from power tools, mobile phones and laptops; and lead acid batteries (for example car batteries) which can only be recycled free of charge at council transfer stations.
Batteries are also accepted at Coles, Tablelands Hardware, Mitre 10 and IGA.
