Garbage truck explosion prompts Rumpke warning

DAYTON — An incident in Whitehall, Ohio last week, is prompting a safety warning about what you put in your trash and recycling.

On Jan. 29, an explosion occurred in the back of a residential garbage truck from an illegally discarded oxygen tank.

“This is an extremely dangerous situation that the industry is encountering far too often,” said Bridgett Biggs, corporate safety manager, Rumpke Waste & Recycling. “We continue to see residents and businesses incorrectly place flammable items like propane tanks, oxygen tanks and lithium-ion batteries in waste and recycling containers, resulting in truck and facility fires.”

Biggs added that drivers are trained to look for flammable items during collection; however, with bagged material, it is often impossible to see everything collected.

“It is important that residents understand that not everything can be discarded in curbside trash and recycling containers,” Biggs said.

Common household items that can’t be discarded curbside include:

Lithium-ion batteries
Propane tanks
Automative fluids
Smoke detectors
Appliances containing freon
Pesticides and fertilizers
Pool chemicals.

Residents should contact their local solid waste districts to find options for disposal.

To learn more about Rumpke and how to recycle right, visit www.rumpke.com.