Authorities are again pleading with inner-west residents to not throw their batteries in the bin, after another garbage truck fire in Maribyrnong last week, the fourth this year.
The latest incident occurred in Scovell Crescent in Maidstone on Monday 1 December.
Firefighters quickly put out the fire and no one was injured, but burning rubbish was left strewn across the street.
In Maribyrnong alone, there have been five garbage truck fires in the past two years, including four in 2025, two of which occurred in Moreland Street, Footscray, in January and February.
The fires are caused by lithium-ion batteries commonly found in vapes, power tools, laptops, e-scooters, mobile phones, rechargeable toys and many everyday devices.
When damaged and crushed, they can heat up and ignite surrounding waste.
Vapes are a particular concern because their built-in batteries create a high fire risk when placed in kerbside bins.
Maribyrnong mayor Mohamed Semra said while council’s garbage truck drivers were trained to detect and respond to fires, residents needed to dispose of their batteries properly.
“Using proper drop-off points for batteries, vapes and electronic items greatly reduces risk across the whole waste system,” Cr Semra said.
According to the waste industry’s peak body, Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), the number of lithium-ion battery fires was escalating across the country, putting workers, trucks and infrastructure at risk.
“This cannot keep happening,” WMRR chief executive Gayle Sloan said.
“We urgently need co-ordinated action.”
Ms Sloan demanded Victoria join other states in introducing a mandatory battery product stewardship scheme where manufacturers are held responsible for the environmental impact of their products.
A spokesperson for the state government confirmed that a stewardship scheme for small batteries and products with embedded batteries was being developed but didn’t say when it would be introduced.
The problem isn’t confined to the waste industry, with spokesperson for Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) saying crews were attending nearly one lithium-ion battery related fire per day.
For more information on battery safety: https://www.frv.vic.gov.au/battery-safety
For drop-off sites in Maribyrnong: https://shorturl.at/V98Ia
