Customer Safety Notice: Hot Ash & Lithium Batteries
To help keep our communities, waste collection crews, and facilities safe, please do not place hot ash from BBQs, fireplaces, fire pits, or stoves into your household bins. Even when it appears cold, ash can retain heat for many hours and may cause serious fires in bins, collection vehicles, and waste processing facilities.
Please also never place lithium batteries (including rechargeable batteries from vapes, phones, laptops, power tools, toys, and other devices) in your household waste or in any of your recycling or standard household bins. Damaged or discarded lithium batteries can ignite and cause serious fires at any time.
For safe disposal:
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Allow ash to cool completely for at least 48–72 hours before disposal, and place it in a metal container while cooling.
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Remove batteries from devices where possible and store them in a separate container.
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Take lithium batteries to an approved battery recycling or collection point.
Why it matters?
- A single lithium-ion battery or incorrect disposal of hot ashes can cause a fire.
- Fires put our drivers, staff, and your community at risk.
- Safe disposal helps recycle valuable materials, reducing environmental impact.
See what goes in my bin for more information about what can and cannot go in each of your household bins.
By taking these simple steps you are helping prevent fires, protecting our teams, and supporting a safer, more sustainable waste system.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe waste collection service.
