While the cause of two recent fires at the Glenmore Landfill has not been determined, the facility害羞草研究所檚 operations manager has a pretty good idea of how they started.

害羞草研究所淲e do have fires pop up, it害羞草研究所檚 an issue in waste management,害羞草研究所� said Scott Hoekstra, manager of landfill and composting operations. 害羞草研究所淧robably 80 per cent of the time the source is either a car battery or lithium batteries.害羞草研究所�

The fires occurred on July 10 and 19.

READ MORE: Glenmore Landfill fire in Kelowna extinguished, 害羞草研究所榯ook most of the night害羞草研究所�

READ MORE: Second fire in 9 days at Kelowna害羞草研究所檚 Glenmore Landfill

Hoekstra added that people who think it害羞草研究所檚 fine to throw electronic devices in the trash, such as cell phones, mobile, and wireless Bluetooth devices, need to take them to a designated recycling centre.

害羞草研究所淪ome of it is education, some of it is people having to care enough. People have to know that it害羞草研究所檚 a problem and they have to take the time to manage it appropriately.害羞草研究所�

Even the smallest of devices can be hazardous, Hoekstra explained.

害羞草研究所淭wo years ago we had 500 or 600 e-cigs and vape pens mixed in a load, obviously from a shop that had been cleaning out, which started a small fire that was put out in a few minutes. We pulled all those out and managed them appropriately.害羞草研究所�

Hoekstra added that lithium batteries can be found in many things that people just don害羞草研究所檛 think about.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 a real challenge in the waste management industry.害羞草研究所�

Hoekstra said the Glenmore Landfill sees about eight small fires a year related to batteries and other items such as compressed and gas cylinders and propane tanks.

害羞草研究所淚n speaking with others in the industry of a similar size, they get a similar number as well. There are so many things that people put in these bins that potentially could be a fire starter.害羞草研究所�

While car batteries are accepted for free at the landfill, devices with lithium batteries are not. They need to be taken to an appropriate recycling centre.

Information on recycling lithium batteries and other household hazardous waste can be found on these websites:

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READ MORE: AMBER ALERT: Mother of missing children spotted in Kamloops 5 days ago, search continues

gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com
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