Fire and Emergency declined RNZ’s request for an interview, saying the investigation into the fire, and into the two firefighters who were briefly trapped after an aerial lift broke down during the fire were ongoing.
Auckland Council general manager of waste solutions Justine Haves said each week there were a couple of smouldering fires at the council’s Waitākere Transfer Station, and its recycling centre in Onehunga.
Batteries blamed
Haves said there had been 13 waste truck fires so far this year, compared to 11 for the whole of last year.
“We believe [the cause] is the increasing number of lithium-ion batteries in our refuse and recycling material,” she said.
“Unfortunately, they’re just so frequent in lots and lots of equipment, and devices, and products that people buy these days, and unfortunately they’re in our waste stream and when the refuse or the recycling gets compressed, if those batteries have a remaining charge then we end up with a fire risk.”
Haves said they wanted to see better regulation for small battery disposal.
“It’s a big priority for us to try and improve and mitigate the health and safety concerns of fires occurring.”
She said the council was doing testing on battery fires to understand how to manage the environmental impacts.
“We’d also like to see better regulation for small battery disposal, and regulated product stewardship-schemes for e-waste that would apply right across the country.
“At the moment, nothing is mandated or required so it’s kind of an information approach without being able to, kind of, require that behaviour.”
She encouraged people to dispose of small batteries properly, by taping them up and dropping them at appropriate sites.
“It all helps taking them out of the waste stream.”
