On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, a small fire started in the Lebanon Landfill. This fire was quickly responded to and extinguished by the Solid Waste Division staff. Fires do happen at landfills. In fact, there are thousands that occur annually around the county. They can be started when someone throws stove ash out with their trash or when certain chemicals are combined in the back of a garbage collection truck.
How it happened.
The fire that started at the Lebanon Landfill on the 24th was started by a small vehicle booster pack. This small battery (pictured) was used to jump-start a car or truck and really packs a punch. The battery was discarded with someone’s trash and run over with the landfill’s trash compactor. The result was immediate ignition with flames. Ray Becker, Solid Waste Heavy Equipment Operator, was the first on the scene and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Additional staff assisted with the facility’s water truck. Lebanon is fortunate to have dedicated and well-trained staff who come to work each day ready to serve the residents of Lebanon.
How you can help.
In order to keep hazardous items out of the landfill and reduce the dangers associated with them, we need local residents and businesses to do their part. The Solid Waste Division offers a number of recycling programs for items that can cause fires that could impact public health and/or the environment. Items like electronic devices, rechargeable batteries, automotive batteries and household hazardous waste are collected for recycling or proper disposal. Resident and business participation is critical to the success of these diversion programs. Please do your part and participate in regular recycling programs and household hazardous waste events.
Questions?
If you have questions regarding recycling or proper disposal of an item, please visit our "What Goes Where?" page or email Marc Morgan, Lebanon Solid Waste Manager.
Photo Caption: The mess on the left is the burned battery pack that caused the fire on July 24th. The one on the right is a damaged, but not burned, battery pack.