Slough Borough Council is calling on residents to dispose of vapes and other lithium-ion batteries responsibly after the contents of a bin lorry caught fire this morning (12 May 2025).
The lorry fire, which happened around 8.30am and was extinguished by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, meant the lorry crew need to dump around five tonnes of rubbish already collected into a large pile in the middle of the road to ensure the fire didn’t take over the whole vehicle.
The pile of refuse was collected by the street cleaning crews after being extinguished.
This is the third similar fire which has taken place in the past month. In all cases the crew was unharmed, and the fire was extinguished before substantially damaging the vehicles.
It is believed the fire this morning on the corner of Lees Road and Long Furlong Drive in Britwell, was caused by a lithium-ion battery contained within a disposable vape.
Now the council is calling on all residents wishing to get rid of anything containing a lithium-ion battery to do so safely at the battery area at Chalvey Waste and Recycling Centre. Battery disposal at Chalvey recycling centre is free.
Councillor Gurcharan Manku, lead member for environmental services, said: “A bin lorry fire puts the lives of our refuse collection crews at risk and can potentially cost tax-payers hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“To replace one bin lorry costs around £250,000 – money that could be better spent providing services, so we are calling on residents to do the right thing, keep batteries which have run out or are not useable anymore and then take them to the battery section at Chalvey.
“Please do not put them in your normal rubbish or recycling bins.
“By doing this, residents can keep their bin men safe and allow them to do their jobs quickly and without fear of harm.”
Lithium-ion batteries are particularly susceptible to spontaneously igniting if overheated, faulty or damaged – for example by being crushed by the compacter in a bin lorry – especially during warm weather.