Trash Smart: Fire-Hazard Items to Keep Out of Your Waste Bins

A recent truck fire serves as an important reminder that some common household items should never be placed in the trash or recycling carts. Improper disposal of hazardous materials is one of the leading causes of collection truck fires. 

Virginia Beach Public Works - Waste Management operates more than 100 collection vehicles. When residents place items such as hot ash, charcoal that hasn’t been fully extinguished, cigarettes or devices containing lithium-ion batteries into their carts, those materials are compacted inside the collection vehicle. That compaction can cause them to spark or ignite, which can result in a fire. 

If a fire occurs in a recycling truck, drivers are trained to respond. After reporting the incident, their priority is to move to a safe location and perform a hot load, unloading the burning or smoldering material as quickly as possible to protect themselves and the truck. Once the material is safely dumped, Virginia Beach firefighters extinguish the fire. 

What Not to Place in Your Trash

Many items should never be placed in your bins, including: 

Fire Hazards 

• Lithium-ion batteries 
• Rechargeable devices 
• Solar devices 
• Propane tanks 
• Hot ashes 
• Flammable liquids 
• Pool chemicals 

Items that Damage Equipment or Cannot Be Collected 

• Construction debris 
• Cabinets and doors 
• Glass (including items with mirrors) 
• Concrete 
• Carpet 
• Toilets and sinks 
• Vehicle parts 
• Tires and rims 
• Dirt and gravel 

Where to Dispose of These Items

The Landfill & Resource Recovery Center is open to all Virginia Beach residents and accepts a wide variety of materials. Some materials, including household hazardous waste (HHW), have a designated disposal area. Residents should inform the attendant of their HHW when arriving at the gate.  

Located at 1989 Jake Sears Road, the Landfill & Resource Recovery Center is open 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. Proof of Virginia Beach residency is required. For information on acceptable forms of ID, landfill policies, and operating schedule visit, VirginiaBeach.gov/Landfill-RRC.

Keeping dangerous items out of household bins helps prevent truck fires, protects employees and reduces the risk of damage to equipment and surrounding property. By properly disposing of these materials, residents play an important role in keeping Virginia Beach's waste collection system safe and reliable.  

For more information on what to avoid placing in bins, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/WasteMGT.

• Waste Management
• Landfill & Resource Recovery Center