A recycling truck caught fire in Mount Martha on Thursday morning after hazardous materials were incorrectly placed in a household bin.
The incident occurred shortly before 8am when the driver noticed smoke coming from the truck and immediately contacted emergency services. Following their advice, the driver took the burning load to Ferrero Reserve where fire crews were waiting.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze before the truck's contents were emptied in the car park. The materials were sorted on-site, with contaminated items taken to landfill. The area has since been fully cleaned up.
While not yet confirmed, we suspect that a battery sparked this fire. Hazardous waste, such as batteries and e-waste, should never be disposed of in household bins because they pose a serious fire risk to residents, waste collection staff, and the environment. When damaged or compressed in collection trucks, batteries can ignite, causing dangerous fires.
"I want to thank our driver for their quick thinking and professionalism in responding to this dangerous situation," said Mayor Councillor Anthony Marsh. "I also extend my gratitude to our contractor Solo for prompt clean up and to the fire fighters who kept our community safe this morning."
Safe battery disposal options:
- Most major supermarkets (including Coles and Woolworths)
- Our resource recovery centres (tips)
- Hardware stores.
