// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Binning batteries can start fires and put lives at risk, says union boss
A bin lorry was forced to tip its rubbish onto the street after a fire caused by an electrical item
Lives are being put at risk because of refuse fires sparked by people incorrectly binning their batteries and electrical goods in household waste, a union boss has warned.
GMB convener Chris Mitchell made the appeal after a bin lorry crew was forced to eject rubbish that had caught fire onto the street in Glasgow city centre.
It is the latest in a series of fires affecting Scotland's refuse services which have been linked to goods containing lithium batteries, including vapes.
Mitchell called for a national strategy to educate people on how to dispose of electrical waste, funded by both the UK and Scottish governments.
The fire on Jamaica Street started on Wednesday morning, after the crew had picked up waste from student accommodation - though Mitchell said it was unclear where the waste had come from.
It is also unclear what sort of electrical item started the fire.
Mitchell told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast the bin lorry's load was expelled about 200 yards from the site of the Union Street fire in March, which began in a vape shop.
No-one was injured and fire crews were called to the scene to dampen the waste before it was cleared.
Warning after battery sparks bin lorry fire in Glasgow