MADISON, Wis.– The Madison Fire Department responded to a recyclables fire this morning at East Pass & Grove Circle on the city’s southwest side at around 9:15 a.m. MFD says they arrived to roughly 4,000 lbs. of recyclables burning.
A Streets Division recycling collection operator had dumped the pile upon noticing the back of his truck was smoking.
The City of Madison Streets Division also provided tools to spread the large trash pile, which allowed firefighters to continue battling hot spots until all of the debris was fully extinguished.
The exact cause of the fire could not be determined, but MFD reminds the public to dispose of electronics, specifically those with lithium-ion batteries, properly.
No one was injured in the incident.
The City of Madison says this is how to properly dispose of batteries and other flammable electronics:
Never Put Batteries or Electronics in the Recycling Cart
Never put batteries into the recycling carts. Even the button-sized battery that powers a musical greeting card can spark when damaged and that can lead to fires.
Never put electronics into the recycling. Cell phones, laptops, and many other electronic devices all contain dangerous batteries that can spark and cause fires when damaged.
What Should You Do with Batteries and Electronics?
If you are a City of Madison resident, you can recycle batteries and electronics for free at one of our drop-off sites.
We also have a webpage and a short video about how batteries should be properly prepared.
Dane County Clean Sweep also accepts batteries and electronics as part of their program.
And Call2Recycle has a tool to find battery recycling options.
