A six-hour inferno at the Viridor recycling plant in Perth shocked the city in the very early hours of Tuesday morning, May 22nd, 2018. Seven crews and thirty-five firefighters rushed from sleep to wakefulness. They scrambled to control the blaze burning beneath the major Kinross arterial bridge. The massive battery blaze is under control now, but this is another warning sign we need better, safer battery technology.
What the Recycling Company Viridor Stands For
Recycling company Viridor is one of the UK’s largest, most responsible recycling companies. Their credo states, “We aim to recycle and recover every kilogram of what society throws away and requires us to safely manage.
“We deliver some of the most advanced recycling and energy recovery facilities and social infrastructure, enabling a pioneering resource management service which knows where every last bit of material ends up. It’s smart technology, safely operated by smart people.”
To give you an idea of scale, here is a similar massive battery blaze at a recycling plant at Kilnhurst, England on 8 May 2017:
Was the Massive Battery Blaze Due to Public Complacency
Watch manager told The Courier newspaper, “The fire was going strong when we arrived. However, we managed to contain it in the yard and keep it from spreading to neighboring buildings and businesses.”
Furthermore, he added, “It took until about 6am to bring it under control, but we stayed on site for a bit longer to make sure we had it fully extinguished.” The recycling depot is one of the most sophisticated electrical and electronic plants in the UK. While the official cause is under investigation, experience probably tells the truth.
“These [lithium-ion] batteries are the main cause of waste site fires,” a local expert told The Courier. “They are commonly found in a variety of products, including mobile phones, toys, cameras, vapers and laptop computers. Viridor asks people to responsibly dispose of these batteries at household waste recycling centers.”
Related
Please Think Carefully Before You Trash Your Devices
KLM Incident Was a Timely Reminder of Lithium’s Risk
Preview Image: Arterial Bridge to Kinross
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/wLe4qbiU3oY
