The Hartland Landfill had a near-miss that could have been a devastating fire earlier this week.
On the landfill’s active face, a laptop sat out which was thrown out and mixed in with the landfill’s regular waste.
According to the Capital Regional District (CRD), an employee of the landfill noticed the laptop, and furthermore, realized smoke was rising from it as it sat in the heat.
It turns out the laptop’s lithium battery was the cause of the smoke.
Thinking on their feet, the employee found a nearby fire extinguisher and put out the fire.
The CRD says that if the laptop was left out any longer, it could have ignited a devastating fire which may have engulfed the entire landfill.
If this were to happen, the environmental impacts could have been severely detrimental.
Just last weekend on Friday, July 7th, a fire was ignited at Ellice Recycling that saw plumes of thick, black smoke rise into the air above Rock Bay.
The awning which shaded a recycling pile caught on fire due to the heat.
The near-miss situation with the laptop could have been avoided if the laptop was properly disposed of. It should have been taken to Hartland and disposed of in the ‘household hazardous waste (HHW) collection.
The CRD have developed a game to help teach people how to dispose of certain items properly which is available here.
Residents can also look at Hartland Landfill’s website to find out what can be disposed of there and when.
