Yet another... recycling plant fire

Yet another... recycling plant fire

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Discussion

AJS-

15,366 posts

235 months

Monday 16th March 2015
quotequote all
I don't know why anyone would want the government to step in and be even more involved in this ridiculous scam. The whole problem in the first place is that all these incentives and subsidies attract the free money crowd who milk it for all it's worth then discharge their liabilities with a can of petrol and a match.

Plenty of other businesses manage to store and process flammable materials without catching fire, when it's in the owner's interest for them not to.

dmitsi

3,583 posts

219 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-32...

The latest fire; seems like a sound business model.

hornetrider

63,161 posts

204 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
Funnily enough, grim as it sounds, when the 'cyclist dies in London' thread got an unfortunate bump I immediately thought it'll be this one next. And lo, so it was.

Digga

40,204 posts

282 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
AJS- said:
I don't know why anyone would want the government to step in and be even more involved in this ridiculous scam. The whole problem in the first place is that all these incentives and subsidies attract the free money crowd who milk it for all it's worth then discharge their liabilities with a can of petrol and a match.

Plenty of other businesses manage to store and process flammable materials without catching fire, when it's in the owner's interest for them not to.
100% correct.

This is (yet another) shining example of the law of unintended consequences, with regard to government legislation. I should also add that it is also a typical example of daft EU legislation which is behind the UK govt's stupidity.

poo at Paul's

14,116 posts

174 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
So many seem to go up at night too. Uncanny.

Blib

43,789 posts

196 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
poo at Paul's said:
So many seem to go up at night too. Uncanny.
Must be the moon wot dun it.

DukeDickson

4,721 posts

212 months

Saturday 11th April 2015
quotequote all
dmitsi said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-32...

The latest fire; seems like a sound business model.
Loving the deadpan reporting.

A cynic, not me wink, might also point out dodgy areas, supply of willing local scrotes and suchlike as contributory factors. It was the hot weather and bored kids sir.


Also resisting the old school improvements gag.

northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Monday 27th April 2015
quotequote all
Ooh look...

Another "recycling" centre mysteriously sets itself on fire.

Funny how they never used to spontaneously combust - I'm not suggesting for one second some of the people involved in these places are less than 100% above board, it must just be an unlucky coincidence.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

Megaflow

9,345 posts

224 months

Monday 27th April 2015
quotequote all
Amazingly it always happens at night or over the weekend...

Fartomatic5000

Original Poster:

558 posts

154 months

Monday 27th April 2015
quotequote all
northwest monkey said:
Ooh look...

Another "recycling" centre mysteriously sets itself on fire.

Funny how they never used to spontaneously combust - I'm not suggesting for one second some of the people involved in these places are less than 100% above board, it must just be an unlucky coincidence.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...
One quote!:

Claire Day • 3 hours ago

this has to be a insurance job how many times has this been on fire

Berz

406 posts

191 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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Yet another spontaneous combustion...

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/12958009.Firefight...

Ricepilot

639 posts

225 months

Friday 29th May 2015
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And yet another. This one has gone up twice in just under 7 years. Clearly the first one didn't do enough damage (even though it was burnt to the ground)

http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/local/breaki...


Avagoodweegend

39 posts

169 months

Saturday 30th May 2015
quotequote all
Hi there,
first off an apology - I haven't read the full post so if I'm slightly off topic or repeating I'm very sorry.

secondly I'm slightly pissed so all of what i'm about to say is "bullst" in the same way that speeders talk about "leptons"

As a long life lab analyst I spent a couple of miss spent years working as the Site Chemist at a Waste Transfer Station.

This Waste Transfer Station was owned by two of the caravan and fighting loving style of people.
In the interview I was told straight out that if I couldn't work without being sworn at all the time that this wasn't the job for me but also that they worked to see how far they could "stretch" the law without being jailed - fines and court appearances were normal.

This was not ever the way I worked or was brought up but the money was brilliant. I accepted.

Basically everything they did was against any law and totally environmentally terrible.I rationalised this by being totally safe and true in my analysis of the wastes and keeping a lab record. What they did with it was not my decision.

Liquid wastes had sawdust put on top to make them appear solid (to land fill). IBC's which had contained flammable liquids were cut up using a Stihl saw - numerous fires were caused on site which were not notified to the relevant authorities. As the place had "a proper Chemist" we took all sorts of dangerous wastes. We were subject to "random" inspections by the Environment Authority, luckily our local man allowed the use of "brown envelopes" so we always got a days notice of a random inspection which allowed us time to relabel hazardous or oil filled IBC's as low hazardous.

I personally think I did nothing against the law - if the waste was dangerous I told them so - that was my job. Many of the blokes that handled the chemicals were low paid, low education guys and as such I tried my best to protect them but they were used by the management as human robots, easily replaced. I was friends with these men and I tried my best to protect them.

They used to pour the dregs out of IBC's into the landfill skips and occasionally the chemicals would react causing fires. I was the one who had to don the waterproof overalls (not a chemical suit like the Fire Brigade) and a gas mask (not an air supply like the Fire Brigade)and climb into the skip with a water hose to dampen down the fire and dilute the chemicals.

I started to educate the lads about certain chemicals which were definite carcinogens etc. Even though treatment of chemicals on site was not allowed I was told to do it, although in those circumstances only me and my assistant were allowed to do it.

Sorry for the rambling post - as I said I've had a couple of beers. My experience of waste transfer stations are that they are run by very dodgey people.

I am pleased that I have left that industry and indeed the country! Which is why I feel relatively safe to tell all!!

Andy

Berz

406 posts

191 months

Monday 1st June 2015
quotequote all
Berz said:
Yet another spontaneous combustion...

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/12958009.Firefight...
Same one again after less than two weeks.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/13102993.Large_ind...

Chrisgr31

13,440 posts

254 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2015
quotequote all
Chances that this one will catch fire? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-32979096

Fartomatic5000

Original Poster:

558 posts

154 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2015
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
Chances that this one will catch fire? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-32979096
I came here to post the same thing!

Ashford borough councillor Geraldine Dyer said:
"The residents are incredibly concerned about this. It's a huge fire risk and pollution as well."
She said there was water on the site and the mattresses had been in the water.

Smarden parish councillor Brian Bristow said:
"The size of the mountain is just horrendous."

He said if the pile ever caught fire it could burn down the estate.
scratchchin

The Don of Croy

5,975 posts

158 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2015
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
Chances that this one will catch fire? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-32979096
Been watching the coverage of this on the local Beeb news - made us laugh when we saw the pile (of piles?).

Who'd want to sort through tons of 'used' mattresses? I'd want gloves...

Once they're nice and dry however, all that horsehair and foam makes for a substantial fire risk. Let us hope it stays unflammabled.

FunkyNige

8,859 posts

274 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2015
quotequote all
Avagoodweegend said:
I am pleased that I have left that industry and indeed the country! Which is why I feel relatively safe to tell all!!
Can you contact your old MP with this? I would hope it's the kind of thing they can look into, especially regarding backhanders in the council!
That's assuming the MP for that area hasn't been parachuted in of course.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

283 months

Saturday 6th June 2015
quotequote all
The Don of Croy said:
Chrisgr31 said:
Chances that this one will catch fire? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-32979096
Been watching the coverage of this on the local Beeb news - made us laugh when we saw the pile (of piles?).

Who'd want to sort through tons of 'used' mattresses? I'd want gloves...

Once they're nice and dry however, all that horsehair and foam makes for a substantial fire risk. Let us hope it stays unflammabled.
Well, what can go wrong.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wale...
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/blaze...

Though why 1000 or so gas cylinders are also there I do not know.

nelly1

5,630 posts

230 months

Saturday 6th June 2015
quotequote all
The Don of Croy said:
Chrisgr31 said:
Chances that this one will catch fire? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-32979096
Been watching the coverage of this on the local Beeb news - made us laugh when we saw the pile (of piles?).

Who'd want to sort through tons of 'used' mattresses? I'd want gloves...