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Scary photos show rubbish truck up in flames over careless recycling act

A council in Sydney’s southwest has shown why we all need to pay attention to what we put in the recycling bin.

Camden Council shared photos on Friday on Facebook from a kerbside collection truck with smoke billowing from its load.

“This is the second fire we have had in our kerbside collection trucks in recent weeks due to hazardous materials in the load,” council wrote.

“For the safety of all motorists on the road, including our truck drivers, please read our kerbside collection brochure carefully before placing your rubbish out.”

Garbage is seen on fire in Camden, NSW.
A kerbside pickup truck's load caught fire in Camden due to some materials which shouldn't have been put in the rubbish. Source: Facebook/Camden Council

Council added the load was ejected in a safe location in Camden South where it was promptly extinguished thanks to local firies.

It’s not clear exactly what caused the rubbish to go up in flames though.

Similar scenes occurred in Queensland in August, after a recycling truck was forced to dump its contents along a residential street because of a fire.

In that instance, the smoky debris was caused by a battery.

It also prompted warnings for residents to be cautious about what they put in their bins.

As for the Camden bin blaze, people on Facebook were shocked.

“People need to educate themselves on how to dispose of their waste properly,” one woman wrote.

Firefighters extinguish a blaze from a Camden Council kerbside collection truck.
It's not clear what caused the blaze. Source: Facebook/ Camden Council

But one man suggested those working in sanitation needed to be more careful.

“How can anybody be blaming the residents for this?”

“Firstly other people often loot or add to the pile throughout the night and secondly the guys that load the truck should be adequately trained not to throw in anything of dangerous goods. They are the ones who physically put it in the crusher.

“Could have left it out. If it was a bin collection then that would be a different story.”

But others said people need to take responsibility for what they put in the rubbish.

“You are kidding, you want them to go through every item?” one woman wrote.

“Just do the right thing, it's not hard.”

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