suspected lithium-ion battery fire disrupts garbage collection in annapolis county
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a fire believed to be caused by a lithium-ion battery burns in a trailer at valley waste resource management in kentville last year. a fire early thursday also believed to have been caused by one of the batteries caused significant damage at valley waste's other transfer station in annapolis county.
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garbage and recycling collection in annapolis county has been thrown into a bit of a mess after a fire overnight wednesday at the valley waste resource management site in clarence east.
lawrencetown firefighters were called to the site on elliott road at about 1:30 a.m., and they found a significant fire burning and called for help from other departments in kings and annapolis counties.
valley waste spokesperson nyla frank-rodgers said the organization is still trying to figure out what exactly happened, “but we do suspect it was a lithium-ion battery.”
those rechargeable batteries, used in cell phones, power tools, game systems, e-bikes and much more, are supposed to be disposed of separately at hazardous waste drop-off sites, but many people throw them in the garbage.
when garbage trucks get to waste management centres, they dump the collected garbage on the floor, where it is then pushed by heavy machinery into piles or into transport trucks to be shipped to landfills.
batteries improperly put in the garbage are sometimes run over and damaged by the heavy machinery. when that happens, they can go into what is called a thermal runaway: a chemical reaction that causes them to start to burn with great intensity that can resemble a blow torch at times and cause a fire to grow very quickly.
there have been several suspected cases like that at valley waste’s two transfer stations recently. if confirmed, this would be the ninth such fire in under three years.
last year, a fire broke out in a truck being loaded at the kentville site that was believed to have been caused by a battery.
frank-rodgers said no equipment like loaders or trucks was believed to have been involved, but one wall was significantly damaged.
the fire has closed the centre for now, meaning garbage, recyclables and compost collected in annapolis county will be taken to the facility in kings county. that will slow down curbside pickup significantly. business and personal drop-offs at the site are also closed.
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“there are going to be definite delays,” frank-rodgers said thursday morning. “people don’t realize how long it takes to drive across the two counties. it’s a big area we cover.”
it will likely also result in some longer waits for businesses and individuals dropping off material on their own in kentville.
frank-rodgers said how long the annapolis county site is closed is still undetermined.
“without an inspection yet, we don’t know the rough timeline of when it will reopen,” she said.
updates will be available by calling the two centres or checking their accounts on social media.
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