A Hunter council has warned residents not to dispose of batteries in kerbside bins after a fire broke out in the back of a rubbish truck.
The truck was forced to dump a load of waste after the blaze broke out during a pickup run on March 19 at Cliftleigh in Cessnock, near the border of Maitland.
"The driver was forced to complete an immediate unload of contents, consistent with our emergency protocols," Cessnock council posted to its Facebook page.
"We can advise that he is okay."
The council said clean up was underway and the EPA had been notified.
Following the incident, the council warned residents not to place batteries in kerbside bins.
"Under no circumstances should batteries, or any items containing lithium-ion batteries be placed in waste bins for collection," the council's Facebook post said.
"Household batteries can be disposed at our community drop-off points located at the Administration Building, the Waste Management Centre and the Cessnock and Kurri Kurri libraries, or those offered at retailers locally such as Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, and Officeworks.
"Car and other large batteries need to be surrendered to the CRC (Community Recycling Centre) at the Waste Management Centre."
