TEST Valley Borough Council is urging residents to dispose of old batteries safely and not to put them in their household bins, due to the risk of them catching fire.

This follows multiple bin lorry fires, including two in one day earlier this year. 

When the waste is compressed in the back of the lorry, the crushing pressure causes the battery to spark. 

As well as causing damage to collection vehicles, they can also cause fires at the waste and recycling processing sites.

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People can safely recycle batteries at local household waste recycling centres, supermarkets or other battery recycling points. 

Vapes containing hidden batteries are common culprits, but electrical items including laptops and mobile phones along with any loose batteries are also a major risk. Many vape retailers will collect used vapes.

Cllr David Drew, portfolio holder for recycling and environmental services, said: “Most people won’t appreciate the dangers from placing items such as vapes in their black or brown bins. But they have caused multiple fires in Test Valley alone. It is simply good luck that nobody has been injured so far. In addition, each bin lorry costs around £220k to purchase, so the costs to repair them can be significant. But, critically, throwing a battery in your black bin could cost someone’s life.”

For more information, visit testvalley.gov.uk/binfires.