A FIRE that started in a garbage truck in Sydney last week has caused authorities to issue another warning about the disposal of e-waste.
The blaze, which was the third in six days, was caused by an e-bike battery.
Fire and Rescue New South Wales Acting Assistant Commissioner of community safety Greg Rankin said putting e-waste and especially batteries in the kerbside rubbish was not the right way to get rid of them.
“Once they catch alight, lithium-ion batteries are difficult to extinguish because they generate their own heat source, oxygen and fuel,” he said.
“Whether it’s a mobile phone, a laptop computer or tablet; a cordless vacuum cleaner, an electric toothbrush or even a vape, if they end up in a garbage truck and catch fire, it endangers the drivers and wider public.
Another recent battery fire in a garbage truck shut down the M5 Motorway in Milperra and firefighters said, “The fire was so intense, the cause could not be determined, while fire crews extinguished another fire in a truck at Kirribilli on Monday.”
So far there have been 40 battery related fires in garbage trucks in NSW this year. In 2025 there were 62.
A spokesperson for the NSW Environment Protection Authority said there was a correct way to dispose of batteries via the free drop-off points as part of the Never Bin A Battery campaign.
“It might seem like an easy option to toss a battery into your bin at home, but you need to consider the flow-on effects,” NSW EPA director Sam Lewis said.
“It only takes one spark to start a garbage truck fire.”