THIS is the horrifying moment rubbish explodes in a binman’s face.
Video footage shows Newham Council refuse worker Sean loading some rubbish into the vehicle’s compactor on August 16.
A gas cannister was then crushed, causing refuse to explode out of the back of the truck, sending Sean reeling in pain.
Footage of the incident was posted by the council to warn of the danger of disposing of dangerous materials improperly.
Sean was taken to the hospital, suffering hearing issues and dizziness following the blast.
The rubbish truck was also totalled.
Newham Council is now warning about the hazards of incorrectly disposing of items such as vapes, batteries, gas canisters and bottles.
Some items pose a serious risk when thrown into regular household waste or recycling bins, with the potential for fires, explosions, and life-threatening injuries to refuse operatives and passersby.
Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Statutory Deputy Mayor, said the footage is a “stark reminder of the dangers posed by improperly disposed dangerous items”.
She added: “We are grateful that our staff member is now recovering, but this incident could have been much worse.
“We all need to be aware that items like vapes, electrical items, batteries, gas canisters and bottles do not belong in household waste or recycling bins.
“These items can cause fires, explosions, serious injuries, putting both our waste management teams and the wider community at risk.
“I urge everyone to be proactive and responsible, by taking these dangerous items to appropriate recycling locations.
“We need to work together to responsibly dispose of dangerous waste safely.”
Newham Council said that later this year they will be adding new mini-recycling collection points across the borough for the safe disposal of smaller electrical items including clocks, remote controls, games consoles and kettles.
Vapes: Lithium-ion batteries in vapes can ignite when crushed, causing fires in collection vehicles and recycling facilities.
Electrical Items: Devices with batteries or plugs can explode or catch fire, endangering workers at multiple points in the waste management process.
Batteries: Even small batteries can cause fires when disposed of in general waste, with over 1,200 battery-related fires reported in the UK last year.
Gas Bottles: Nitrogen oxide canisters and other gas bottles, even when empty, can cause explosions when crushed, posing a significant threat to waste workers and infrastructure.
Source: newham.gov.uk
It comes after two binmen had a lucky escape – when an item left in a wheelie bin exploded in their lorry.
CCTV footage publi;shed last month shows one refuse worker moving away from the lorry moments before debris is shot out across the road in Barnet, North London.
The clip captured by a camera attached to the rear of the lorry shows a worker emptying a black bin into the vehicle.
Seconds later, as he starts wheeling the empty bin away, a huge explosion from inside the lorry fired rubbish across the street and sent smoke pouring into the air.
The explosion blasted the bin from the hands of the refuse worker, but luckily he and his colleagues escaped unharmed.
Barnet Council said the explosion was caused by a combustible item or items such as gas canisters or bottles, batteries or aerosol cans being wrongly placed into a residential bin.
