Issue - meetings

(i)       to note the contents of the attached Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) fire investigation report;

(ii)      to note that as an organisation, we can conclude from the SFRS report, that the fire at Altens East did not occur as a result of a failure in our system of internal control;

(iii)      to note that the Waste and Recycling Manager would circulate, by email, details of the number of waste fires across the UK to the Committee; and

(iv)     to request the Waste and Recycling Manager to identify further actions that could be taken to educate citizens on the disposal of vapes and other battery/electrical products and report to the most relevant Committee in due course.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided information on the outcome of the Scottish Fire and Rescue (SFRS) report on the fire at Altens East Recycling and Resource Facility on 8 July 2022.

The report recommended:-

That the Committee -

(a)      notes the contents of the attached Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) fire investigation report; and

(b)      notes that as an organisation, we can conclude from the SFRS report, that the fire at Altens East did not occur as a result of a failure in our system of internal control.

In response to various questions from members, the Waste and Recycling Manager advised that (1) the facility was being rebuilt with a timeline of late 2024 or early 2025; (2) the CCTV footage was not conclusive on the cause of the fire however it was likely to be a battery or similar electronic device deposited in recycling; (3) the first call to SFRS was an automatic call; and (4) the video footage from the start of the fire had been and would continue to be used to educate people on the importance of disposing waste in the correct manner to prevent similar issues in the future.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that the Waste and Recycling Manager would circulate, by email, details of the number of waste fires across the UK to the Committee; and

(ii)      to request the Waste and Recycling Manager to identify further actions that could be taken to educate citizens on the disposal of vapes and other battery/electrical products and report to the most relevant Committee in due course; and

(iii)      to otherwise approve the recommendations contained in the report.