A wheelie bin fire at your business or home can cause serious damage. Accidental and intentional fires in any bins on your premises may destroy the bin, which you’ll likely have to pay to replace, but they can also spread quickly. This might be devastating if they reach adjacent properties, homes, and alight anything else.
Most wheelie bins are made from HDPE plastic, which is durable and heat-resistant to a certain extent. However, this means that any burning wheelie bins also release toxic fumes, emissions, and smoke into the air. Such fumes add to pollution levels and are harmful to human health.
The risk of bin fires is greater over summer during hot weather. It’s important that you do as much as possible to prevent them at your business or home to uphold health and safety standards. Understand the causes and actions you can take to reduce the risk of bin fires within your business and at home.
Wheelie bin fire causes
There are more than 30,000 refuse-related fires in the UK every year. These include fires in household, commercial, and public bins. The contents of most bins are susceptible to ignition, especially dry waste materials, so even a small spark can set one off. Arson and accidents are the main causes of most bin fires.
These are the main reasons behind a wheelie bin fire:
- Arson – deliberately starting a fire in a bin is one of the leading reasons behind them. Often this anti-social behaviour occurs in public bins on the street, but it can happen to commercial wheelie bins that are easily accessible. There’s rarely any motive beyond the perpetrator getting a thrill, but the fire can spread.
- Accidents – some bin fires are purely accidental with no malice behind them. A common cause is flicking a cigarette butt into a bin that’s not been put out completely and ignites the waste inside. Discarded BBQ coals are another common cause of bin fires.
- Extreme weather – most wheelie bins are designed to withstand high temperatures. The bins themselves are usually made of plastic that will melt rather than set alight or metal that can get extremely hot. It’s the contents of the bins that start fires and when it gets really hot they can be vulnerable, especially if the waste is exposed to direct sunlight.
- Waste materials – certain types of waste are more susceptible to catching fire than others. Any bins used solely for paper, cardboard, wood, and dry garden waste may be more at risk of fires. Glass in a mixed recycling bin can also lead to fires if exposed to direct sunlight.
- Improper disposal – throwing lithium-ion batteries, various electricals, and other batteries into general waste and other bins not designed for WEEE can lead to them igniting or exploding. There are various examples of incidents where this has happened and caused fires in bins, bin trucks, and even at recycling centres.
How to reduce the risk of a wheelie bin fire
Various factors affect the risk level of bin fires in your business or home. Some of these appear obvious, such as disposing of flammable items that may ignite. There are other aspects you might not have thought of that can affect the chances of fire breaking out in your bins.
Preventative action minimises the chance of fires and protects human health, property, and the environment. These are some things you can do to prevent wheelie bin fires:
- Build a bin store – a dedicated bin store protects your bins and reduces the risk of arson by limiting access. Build one with a roof and it can also keep your wheelie bins shaded from extreme heat and direct sunlight that may cause fires. You could also use wheelie bin locks to secure them and further reduce the chance of arson.
- Avoid overfilling bins – rubbish overflowing from bins that ends up in direct sunlight or ignites from a stray cigarette butt is a big fire risk. Prevent bins from overflowing by ensuring your business has the best number and sizes to accommodate your waste or increase collection frequencies if required.
- Position bins carefully – keep bins hidden where possible to minimise vandalism and arson risks. They should also be placed away from windows and doors to minimise the chance of fire spreading if one breaks out. Don’t block escape routes with bins either as this can be hazardous.
- Move bins on collection day – only move your bins to their collection spot (for your business or at home) on the collection day. This reduces the chance of arson and keeps them out of direct sunlight for longer during summer.
- Separate waste materials – one cause of bin fires is the disposal of e-waste and batteries especially, in the wrong containers. Ensure your business has separate bins for different waste streams to improve recycling rates, comply with Simpler Recycling regulations, but also to segregate rubbish and minimise fire risks.
Get free bins for your business with Divert
Save money on your commercial waste collections and reduce the risk of fires with free bins. There are no delivery or rental charges with Divert – you only pay for bin collection. A wide range of wheelie bins is available to suit the types and volume of waste your company produces.
Separate everything from WEEE to paper and cardboard into secure wheelie bins. Then arrange collection on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly basis that meets your requirements. Get a free quote for the bins your business needs today – call 0333 444 0118 or contact us online.
