Battery warning after near miss bin lorry fire in Edinburgh

The City of Edinburgh Council has warned against putting devices like vapes into household waste after bin crews narrowly avoided a fire.

A refuse collector spotted smouldering rubbish in general waste that had been collected from the Polwarth area of the city at the end of last month.

The crew had to spill the waste out on the street where the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were able to extinguish it quickly.

A series of fires linked to goods containing lithium batteries have affected Scotland's refuse services this year.

Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said: "This incident is an example of why residents must be vigilant in making sure batteries are disposed of correctly, so this doesn't happen again.

"We've had several other incidents like this in the past and it's important we highlight the potentially dangerous consequences that incorrect disposal of batteries can have for residents, the environment, and our colleagues."

A number of other items, including laptop chargers, e-scooter batteries and hoverboards have been linked to battery-related fires attended by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

SFRS area commander for Glasgow, Garry Marshall previously told BBC Scotland News that while the number of battery fires are low, it is an increasing trend.

"Unfortunately, we do see incidents within bin lorries and recycling units where it does cause quite a lot of disruption and quite a high drain on resources particularly if it gets to recycling centres."

He warned that battery fires are "a rapidly increasing, intensive heat fire that produces a significant amount of smoke and toxic fumes and can even lead to an explosion as well."

Last week, GMB convener Chris Mitchell appealed to the public to be "mindful" of the harm that throwing away battery-powered items can have.

He said bin lorry crews were "one fire away from a major disaster" if incidents continued.

This came after a crew was forced to eject rubbish that had caught fire onto the street in Glasgow city centre.

Glasgow City Council said two fires had taken place in bin lorries this year, with a further seven last year.

Ladybank Waste Facility in Fife was ablaze for a significant period of time in May following what crews described as a "deep-seated blaze".

Fife Council said it was awaiting "formal confirmation" from an investigation into the incident, but an initial report did identify "improperly disposed batteries within the waste stream" as a possible cause.

Incidents in Aberdeen and Peterhead were linked to battery fires in 2022 and 2025 respectively.

No-one has been injured in the incidents.

Mitchell added: "We're moving into the electrical era with people using e-scooters and things like that, but we've got to put things in place very quickly, a properly funded strategy by the UK and Scottish government.

"We can't continue. It just takes one major accident and then there's a fatal accident inquiry and people want answers."