Auckland Council is urging Aucklanders to properly dispose of flammable and hazardous items following three kerbside recycling truck fires in less than a month.
The fires have resulted in up to 19 tonnes of recyclable materials being sent to the landfill rather than to a recycling plant, Auckland Council said in a statement.
It follows a fire which broke out in a recycling collection truck on a residential street in Warkworth yesterday.
The truck was diverted and the load moved to a new subdivision, where the load was assessed without posing a risk to local residents, housing and passing pedestrians. Investigators are currently investigating the cause of the fire.
"Our kerbside recycling collection service is designed to only recycle plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum containers from our kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, as well as paper and cardboard," said general manager of waste solutions Parul Sood.
"Flammable and hazardous items pose a significant risk in our recycling trucks, especially when the compaction equipment is used."
An earlier recycling truck fire occurred in Green Bay on Monday, October 7, where firefighters were called to douse a truck hopper to extinguish the blaze. A lithium ion battery was found to have caused the blaze.
In another incident last month, a fire occurred after what was believed to have been hot barbecue ash was tipped into a kerbside recycling bin.
"We had a similar spate of fires around this time last year. It is a major concern. Everything from gas bottles to batteries to an Xbox console have been the underlying causes," Ms Sood said.
"It's a shame to see tonnes of recyclable materials going up in smoke. Once the materials are burnt and contaminated by foam, we have to send the materials to landfill. It's a backwards step for our environment."
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