Waste disposal operators in Tokyo are asking residents to hold onto their oversized garbage after a fire occurred at a disposal site in Koto Ward last month.
The blaze is believed to have been caused by the improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries. Operations at the site have since been suspended, with a resumption expected around March.
The fire damaged the machines that are used to sort metal from other garbage, as well as the conveyor belt. Restoring the facility is expected to cost around ¥400 million ($2.8 million). Since then, a waste disposal facility next door that has no incinerator has been used to store oversized garbage.
Last week, the waste disposal association released an emergency statement alerting residents of Tokyo’s 23 wards that the alternative facility handling the extra waste was nearing capacity.
“If the (alternative) facility experiences any fire or trouble in the future, the storage facility will become full in around five days and we will no longer be able to accept oversized waste and noncombustible waste,” said the statement updated on Friday. “We ask our residents to wait to dispose of their oversized garbage, aside from items for which they have already made applications.”
The association has called on residents to make sure they remove batteries when disposing of waste, in line with regulations, although trash disposal operators are also double-checking as well. Products that use lithium-ion batteries include robot vacuum cleaners, cordless vacuums and mobile phones.
Fires caused by batteries are common at such waste disposal facilities, although most tend to be small. Ninety-five fires were reported at the oversized garbage disposal facility in Koto Ward in fiscal 2022 through March, with one case severe enough to be reported to the fire department. From the start of fiscal 2023 through November, there were 59 fires at the disposal site.
To prepare for the new year, many Japanese households often go on a cleaning spree in December, sometimes forgoing waste disposal regulations.
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