Cardinia residents are urged to keep the community safe by not putting batteries or e-waste in their household bins.
E-waste is any item with a battery, cord or plug at the end of its useful life, which can include household batteries, battery-operated toys, vapes and e-cigarettes, devices, and appliances.
Cardinia Shire mayor Jack Kowarzik said the council has been called out to an increasing number of recycling truck fires, as the volume of e-waste found in bins increases.
“In 2022, Cardinia Shire didn’t have a single fire in its waste and recycling trucks,” he said.
“This increased to 4 truck fires in 2023.
“In just the first few months of this year, there have been three truck fires and one recycling facility fire.”
The three truck fires involved trucks being forced to dump its rubbish on Thursday 18 January at Toomuc Recreation Reserve in Pakenham, on Friday 19 January on the corner of Army Road and the Princes Highway in Pakenham and Thursday 22 February in Officer
When the truck compacts its load through normal operations, friction and heat can cause items such as electrical goods, batteries, flammable liquids, aerosol and gas cans to catch fire, even if they don’t look flammable.
Cr Kowarzik said the fires are commonly caused by batteries and e-waste being put in household bins.
“These fires are extremely dangerous and put truck drivers, staff and the community at risk, as well as taking valuable resources from the fire authorities to put them out,” he said.
E-waste has been banned from Victorian landfill since 2019, which means it cannot go in any household bins.
Residents can correctly dispose of their e-waste for free by booking a hard waste collection, taking small household items such as batteries, laptops and mobile phones to any council drop-off locations, major supermarkets, or dropping items off at a local transfer station.
For more information, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/ewaste
