Recycle don't bin batteries

FIRE SERVICE LEADS FESTIVE PLEA OVER CHRISTMAS LIGHTS THAT CAN'T BE FIXED

- By MAIL REPORTER

THE public is being urged to recycle any broken or unwanted Christmas lights this year amid concerns that batteries are causing a surge of fires in the waste system.

While the purchase and use of light-up electrical goods booms over the festive period, firefighters, waste management workers and recycling campaigners are calling on households to consider how they consume and dispose of these items.

They say lithium-ion batteries put in everyday rubbish bins can get crushed in bin lorries or at waste sites, which sparks fires that ultimately put firefighters, waste workers and communities at risk.