Aucklanders are being urged not to put hazardous waste in their recycling bins, after another fire in a collection truck.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Smoke was seen coming from a truck while it was emptying bins in Glendene earlier this week.
Fire fighters were called in and the entire load had to be dumped and sent to landfill.
Auckland Council said recycling truck fires have been on the rise, with lithium batteries and gas cannisters the main problem.
The compacting equipment in the trucks means there's a significant chance of a fire occurring when items are crushed.
Electronics and gas items should never be placed in kerbside rubbish or recycling bins.
Councillor Richard Hills said people should take care with their recycling.
"While the overwhelming majority do the right thing, I'd reminding Aucklanders to please keep hazardous items out of the recycling. It puts our essential workers in harm's way, particularly right now during level 3 when there's already greater risk," he said.
"The damage to vehicles and clean-up after a fire is also costly to ratepayers, not to mention the significant waste of recyclable material that ends up in landfill."
Fire and Emergency Auckland City district manager Vaughan Mackereth said hazardous waste in recycling and general waste bins can cause potentially dangerous fires after the items have been picked up.
"Recent fires caused by hazardous items on trucks are generally avoidable, if items are disposed of responsibly."
Mackereth said being careful with hazardous items will also help in reducing the number of callouts during level 3 and reduce the risk of Covid-19 exposure for firefighters.