FOCUS
The right solution Understanding risk, detection and management of fire in waste and recycling is essential to being able to provide the best solution for operators, according to Russell Bonnett
in the UK. Of course not all these sites are legal, regulated or indeed properly run. But even the incidence of fi res on well run sites appears to have increased over recent years, so why is that? Newspaper and magazine headlines certainly tell a worrying story about this perceived rise in fi res in the waste sector. A recent industry insight survey by trade
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magazine, Materials Recycling World, revealed that 64% of waste operators had been affected in some way by fire – that’s two out of three people working in the industry. The same survey highlighted that a quarter of those affected by a waste fi re experienced disruption to their business for up to six months. However, a further 26% said they had experienced minimal or no disruption, indicating the vast differences in the scale of incidents that are experienced. More than half of those responding to the
survey said they felt the level of engagement from regulatory bodies was ‘about right’, while 10% felt the industry needed more guidance
40 NOVEMBER 2018
www.frmjournal.com
TATISTICS FROM the Environment Agency (EA) show that there is an average of one fire a day on waste and recycling sites
from them. Clearly there is much confusion, misunderstanding and differing opinions about this subject.
Root causes
The root causes of fi res in the waste sector are incredibly varied. They can include mechanical failure, poor housekeeping, delayed planned preventative maintenance due to production/ capacity pressures, and quite commonly a presence of high risk foreign objects such as domestic pressurised gases and lithium batteries, which have inadvertently been put into recycling materials by householders or businesses. However, while the industry has gained
a reputation for being one plagued by fires, the full story warrants further consideration from that portrayed in the media. In many instances it’s not through lack of trying that operators aren’t getting the right systems in place to help them. For those with little experience of what products are available, it can be time consuming and confusing. Solutions often claim to be a one size fits
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