A Maribyrnong council recycling truck has again caught fire in Footscray this morning, on the same street where a similar fire occurred a month ago.
The recycling truck was doing morning pick up on Moreland Street, Footscray when the fire broke out at about 10am on Friday, February 28.
Moreland Street, between Bunbury and Wingfield streets, was closed to traffic while firefighters put out the blaze, which like the recycling truck fire on January 29, is believed to have been started by a battery or piece of electronic waste being incorrectly disposed of.
As with the earlier incident, no one was injured in the fire and Moreland Street has since reopened to traffic.
However, the second recycling truck fire in a month has forced Maribyrnong council to again remind residents of the dangers of disposing batteries and e-waste in household bins.
To avoid fires, environmental harm or health risks, council has urged residents to dispose of any item with a plug, cord or battery at one of a number of drop-off locations throughout the municipality.
For small electronic items (under 50cm high and 60cm wide) such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, those locations include Bristow Street Car Park, Seddon, Donald Street Car Park, Footscray, Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, Maribyrnong Community Centre and Raleigh Road Activity Centre, all in Maribyrnong.
Larger e-waste items like TVs, fridges, and washing machines can be dropped off at the Brooklyn Resource Recovery Centre, Brooklyn, Moonee Valley Transfer Station, Moonee Ponds and Citywide Transfer Station on Dynon Road in West Melbourne.
For household batteries, residents are advised to use the drop-off point finder to locate their nearest recycling point: https://bcycle.com.au/drop-off/
Cade Lucas.
