Residents are being warned to safely dispose of batteries to help avoid the danger of fires igniting in homes and waste facilities.
It follows a growth in incidents reported by waste processing operators.
Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre, owned by Northern Beaches Council and Mosman Council, is experiencing two to three incidents a month of overheated and smouldering batteries in its waste as a direct result of rechargeable batteries being placed in garbage bins, kerbside collections or dumped at the transfer station in Ingleside.
In many cases, the batteries are built into household items such as vacuum cleaners, toys, scooters and power tools and are not easily detected.
A warning to residents to keep batteries and mobile phones out of landfill is being issued during the summer holiday season, when large numbers of consumers source new items and dispose of old ones.
It echoes advice from agencies including Fire and Rescue NSW and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, urging people to use and store batteries safely to prevent potentially deadly fires.
Batteries, or items that contain batteries, should not be placed in garbage bins or kerbside collections, as fires can start at the site or in waste collection trucks.
Batteries should be disposed of at designated drop-off areas. For Mosman residents, these include the Mosman Civic Centre, Kimbriki, and the Community Recycling Centre at Artarmon, as well as selected retailers such as Aldi and IGA.
Council also holds free e-waste drop-off events, so unwanted electronic goods such as computers, televisions, mobile phones, gaming consoles, microwaves and light bulbs can be recovered and recycled into new products.
The next e-waste drop-off event is on Sunday 25 February, from 9am to 4pm, in the Mosman Square car park.
