The News Hub

Published: 20 July 2026.

A fire inside an East Waste collection truck prompted a major emergency response in Watson Avenue, Toorak Gardens on Friday afternoon, after a container of chlorine was incorrectly disposed of in a household’s red waste bin.

The truck's load was discharged onto the roadway to allow the fire to be extinguished. East Waste, supported by the Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) and South Australia Police (SAPOL), coordinated the response and safely removed the waste. Council's Depot team also assisted with the clean-up, pressure washing and sweeping the affected section of road to ensure the area was left clean and safe. The Integrated Waste Services (IWS) facility delayed closing to receive and process the contaminated waste in a quarantined setting.

Neither the driver nor East Waste vehicle were harmed during the incident.

The incident is an important reminder that hazardous household chemicals should never be placed in general waste, recycling or green organics bins.

Products such as pool chemicals, batteries, paint, solvents, fuels, pesticides and other hazardous substances can react with other materials during collection, creating a serious fire risk for waste collection crews and the wider community.

This type of incident is easily preventable by disposing of household chemicals through dedicated hazardous waste drop-off facilities.

Green Industries SA provides free household chemical disposal locations across metropolitan and regional South Australia, making it easy to dispose of hazardous products safely and responsibly.

Find your nearest hazardous waste drop-off location at: https://www.greenindustries.sa.gov.au/hazwaste(External link)