Yesterday, we had a near miss with a lithium battery contained in a power bank in a bin which entered our refuse vehicle in Kingsbury.
Thankfully, the crew noticed the smell and saw a small amount of smoke. They acted promptly using a fire extinguisher to stop any spread and put the fire out, safely removing the extinguished battery.
Please do not place batteries or electrical items containing batteries in your household bins, as they can cause fires if damaged during collection or processing. This puts our crews at risk and can damage waste collection vehicles. Instead, we recommend taking them to your local Household Recycling Centre or a designated battery recycling point so they can be disposed of safely and recycled correctly.