DAYTON — A recent explosion in an Ohio garbage truck is prompting a warning from Rumpke.
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As News Center 7 reported last week, there was an explosion inside a garbage truck in Whitehall last week. Video shared by the city showed the large explosion as a sanitation worker was emptying a trash can into the truck.
City officials said it was caused by an oxygen tank that was illegally place in the trash can.
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The incident has led to a safety warning from Rumpke about what you put into the trash and recycling.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation that the industry is encountering far too often,” Bridgett Biggs, corporate safety manager, Rumpke Waste & Recycling, said. “We continue to see residents and businesses incorrectly place flammable items like propane tanks, oxygen tanks and lithium-ion batteries in waste and recycling containers, resulting in truck and facility fires.”
While drivers are trained to look for flammable items during collection, it can be nearly impossible to see those items inside bagged garbage.
Rumpke reminds customers that these common household items can’t be discarded curbside:
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Propane tanks
- Automotive fluids
- Smoke detectors
- Appliances containing freon
- Pesticides and fertilizers
- Pool chemicals
Residents can contact their local solid waste districts to find options for disposal.
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