It should go without saying, but grenades, tank shells and bullets do not belong in your domestic metal waste stream.
According to Devon County Council, recycling centres across the authority have been forced to pause processing due to potentially dangerous items being identified on-site.
These have included a tank shell at Ivybridge, discovered in January, and earlier this month an explosive device — believed to be a grenade — was found at the Brunel Road facility in Newton Abbot. Although wasted time and effort were the main repercussions, the objects posed a direct threat to life.
Other locations have reported unexploded ordnance being thrown in with normal recycling, with marine flares, old ammunition and vessels once used to store ‘unknown chemical substances’ also regularly appearing.
‘Once again, we’ve had to close a centre because an item that appeared suspicious was brought onto site,’ said Cllr Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member responsible for waste services, at Devon County Council. ‘These avoidable incidents waste the valuable time of emergency services, disrupt our staff, and inconvenience the public. Items such as flares, fireworks or ammunition must never be brought to our recycling centres. Taking simple precautions helps keep everyone safe.’
In 2019, waste specialist SUEZ published a list of the weirdest — most problematic and, often, disgusting — items found in its recycling centres. These included:
*Used nappies — one dirty nappy can rendering an entire lorry load unrecyclable
*Wigs — can become entangled in machinery and cause long term damage to recycling plants
*Car parts – risk closing facilities down due to equipment damage
*VHS tapes – unwind in conveyor belt and leave lengthy tape trail throughout the building
*Prosthetic limbs – can be mistaken for a human body part, and should be returned to medical centre or hospital so they can be reused
*Fair lights – regularly start fires in both recycling lorries and centres
Image: Jay Rembert / Unsplash
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