Incorrect waste separation

Dangerous firebombs in the recycling center

In March, the waste collection center in Feldkirch was engulfed by flames.

(Bild: Häfele/Dietmar Mathis)

If waste is separated incorrectly, not only is valuable raw material lost. It can also be a fire hazard in the truest sense of the word. Batteries regularly explode in waste disposal companies. Experts explain the consequences.

On March 12 of this year, the waste collection center in Feldkirch was on fire. The building could no longer be saved. Fire investigators quickly identified the cause of the blaze. Improperly disposed rechargeable batteries, batteries and spray cans had apparently started the fire.

One to two fires a month
At the Ahrental recycling center in Tyrol - where around 75,000 tons of waste are sorted and processed every year - one to two fires have to be extinguished on the sorting belts every month. "It usually happens during shredding: the batteries explode and cause a fire," explains Reinhard Oberguggenberger from the Tyrolean Waste Management Association.

It usually happens during shredding: the batteries explode and start a fire.

Reinhard Oberguggenberger, Tiroler Abfallwirtschaftsverband

A lot of money has therefore been invested in extinguishing systems. However, this does not eliminate the risk of a major fire - as the example of Vorarlberg shows. Oberguggenberger also mentions that the underground waste bunker in Ahrental has to be emptied every day for safety reasons. 

Greeting cards are also problematic
Oberguggenberger and Alfred Egger, Chairman of the Waste Management Association, appeal to the public to dispose of rechargeable batteries and batteries properly in recycling centers in order to prevent fires on garbage trucks, in recycling centers and sorting facilities. This also applies to greeting cards with a built-in "Happy Birthday Song". Because these could also be a fire hazard.