An investigation has been launched into a fire started by a lithium-ion battery that destroyed a recycling facility in the US on 24 October.
The fire, coupled with 60 mph winds, has meant recycling firm Republic Services has had to close its facility at the Salt River Pima landfill in Fountain Hills, Maricopa County, Arizona
A spokesman for the Arizona firm said: “We are working with our municipal partners to identify short-term and long-term recycling processing solutions that will help us continue serving our customers with minimal interruption.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the recycling center is currently closed.”
Last month, Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Applied Research Foundation published a report reviewing prevention and control at waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities in the US.
Jeremy O’Brien, P.E., director of the SWANA, said at the time: “As with all solid waste management facilities, the issue of fire prevention and control at WTE facilities is growing in importance, in part, due to the increased processing and disposal of lithium-ion batteries and similar products.”
The report, ‘Fire Prevention and Control at WTE Facilities’, examined two case studies of large-scale fires at WTE facilities two months apart in late 2016 and early 2017 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
The report also included a review of the guidelines developed in the UK to guide the development of fire prevention plans for new WTE facilities and to identify how these guidelines could be used to improve fire protection strategies.