Misplaced dangerous items such as household and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, vapes, and gas canisters all pose a significant risk in various stages of the collection and recycling process – with damaged batteries likely to spontaneously combust and frequent fires from gas canisters exploding on recycling sorting lines.
Danger arises when items from home are incorrectly placed for collection in the rubbish or in the wrong recycling bags and boxes – resulting in them going undetected or setting fire inside recycling machinery and vehicles. Other items should not be put out for recycling collection at all – such as gas canisters that can sometimes be mistaken for aerosol cans – these should be taken to a recycling centre.
Batteries and vapes should never be put in the rubbish bin. Somerset Council’s Waste collection safety page offers clear guidance on how to recycle batteries and vapes from home by separating them and placing them in small, clear tied plastic bags and leaving on top of one of the recycling bins so they are easy for collection crews to spot.