Published: Wednesday 15 April 2026
In a warning to residents on the proper disposal of batteries, the Council's waste and street cleaning contractor tackled two bin lorry fires caused by unsafe disposal of batteries last month.
In mid-March, a waste collection crew in North Kensington noticed smoke at the back of the vehicle while carrying out collections for a block of flats. The vehicle was immediately moved to a safe space and emergency services were alerted, arriving within minutes.
The London Fire Brigade identified a battery smouldering among the rubbish. Staff from SUEZ, the Council's waste and street cleaning contractor, reloaded the remaining waste and returned the area to its original condition.
Not another one?
Then, less than two weeks later, a bin lorry near the National Army Museum on Royal Hospital Road caught fire. The fire brigade attended promptly and extinguished the fire, again citing incorrectly disposed batteries as the cause. The clean up was particularly demanding as many bags were damaged during the fire.
Conor O'Brien, Contract supervisor for Suez, said:
“These incidents risk the safety of our staff and local residents as well as delaying our scheduled service, putting further strain on our teams. I am incredibly proud of our crew for acting quickly and calmly to contain the incident and minimise impact. However, I urge residents to dispose of their batteries responsibly at either a local retail drop off point or their council’s household waste recycling centre.”
How should I dispose of batteries?
You can dispose of your old batteries safely at a retail drop off point or at a household waste recycling centre. Putting batteries in the bin cause fires putting our cleaning crews at risk and delaying your collections.
Where can I dispose of batteries safely in Kensington and Chelsea?
Most shops and supermarkets that sell batteries have battery recycling bins.
You can also recycle them at the Smugglers Way Household Waste and Recycling Centre, Wandsworth, or at one of our battery recycling points:
- Chelsea Library, Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Road, SW3 5EZ
- Kensington Central Library, 12 Phillimore Walk, W8 7RX
- North Kensington Library, 108 Ladbroke Grove, W11 1PZ
- Brompton Library, 210 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0BS
- Kensal Library, 20 Golborne Road, W10 5PF
- Council Offices, 37 Pembroke Road, W8 6PW
- Market Office, 72 Tavistock Road, W11 1AN