Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes warns residents to properly dispose of batteries to avoid safety hazards

The Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes is warning residents to properly dispose of batteries and avoid putting them in normal bins due to safety hazards. Two fires at the Bridgetown Waste Facility in the past three months are believed to have been started by electronic waste during waste compaction. “Luckily on each occasion the fires were quickly contained and extinguished and no one was injured, nor machinery damaged,” the shire said. “This risk is dramatically increased during the summer when the total fire ban season is upon us. “E-waste and battery waste is the fastest growing waste stream in Australia, growing at three times the rate of any other type of waste.” Devices with an embedded battery, including mobile phones, laptops and smart watches, and other battery types such as from vehicles or power tools can be recycled at facilities including the Bridgetown Waste Facility, Greenbushes Community Resource Centre and Mitre 10.