Shropshire residents urged to safely dispose of their waste to help prevent fires

With warmer weather expected as the summer continues, Shropshire Council and Veolia are urging residents to check up on how to correctly dispose of their waste.

Hot barbecue coals, batteries and electrical items can all cause fires, especially when mixing with waste that is drier than usual.

In January this year, Veolia revealed that only 43 per cent of the public were aware that lithium-ion batteries could cause fires when incorrectly discarded in household bins.

During the summer months hot coals from barbecues are another common cause of preventable fires as they are often mixed with waste before they are fully extinguished.

This summer, the county's residents are being asked to play it safe with waste by checking their council webpages for details of how to correctly dispose of electricals and batteries, and ensuring that barbecue coals are fully extinguished before they are thrown away.

Steve Mitchell, Veolia director (West), said: “Items that generate heat and electricity can easily combust in the back of waste vehicles or at our recycling and waste facilities.

"This is extremely dangerous and can result in fires.

“People also forget that batteries and electrical items can be recycled.

"We should be doing everything we can to capture these materials to preserve our precious resources and protect the green economy.

"When residents are unsure of what can and can’t be put in their household recycling and waste bins, they should play it safe and check their council website.”

For more information on what can and can’t go in your household recycling bin, visit shropshire.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish