New electrical recycling banks open in Wakefield as council issues warning over fires
The bins can be found in libraries at Stanley, Featherstone and South Elmsall and Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) – anything with a battery, charger or plug – should never be placed in your household bin, Wakefield Council has warned.
Coun Jack Hemingway, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “We want to encourage people to recycle their electricals, because they contain valuable materials we can use again and again and because putting electrical items in any of your household bins can be dangerous. They can cause fires in our waggons and recycling facility, which damages equipment, puts staff at risk and means we have to call on the emergency services.”
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Hide AdIn just six months from April to September 2022, batteries caused 69 fires at the Wakefield district’s waste treatment facility in South Kirkby. The fire service had to be called out four times and the facility evacuated.
Electricals can also be recycled at the district’s three Household Waste Recycling Centres at Glasshoughton; Denby Dale Road, Wakefield or South Kirkby.