Fire Has Industry Rethinking Guidance To Dump Burning Trash

It was a hot, windy day in Southern California when a trash truck caught fire and the driver dumped the burning garbage on the side of the road. Minutes later, powerful winds blew the flames across a hillside and into a mobile home community, killing two people and destroying dozens of homes.

No California law governs how trash haulers respond to a fire in their truck, leaving it to the waste industry to provide guidance. The industry has long recommended drivers quickly unload burning garbage to ensure their safety, prevent explosions and limit damage to vehicles that can cost up to $300,000.

Now, as California braces for several days of hot, windy weather, industry leaders are taking a second look at whether the guidance makes sense when the threat of wildfires is high.

“We’re at the beginning of a conversation within the industry” on the topic, said David Biderman, executive director of the 10,000-member Solid Waste Association of North America.

“What I suspect is that on days when there’s inclement weather, including high winds, we need our drivers to be particularly mindful of that when they dump the load,” he said.

Those conditions exist this week in much of California, where unusually high temperatures and gusty winds have elevated fire danger to the highest level. It’s leading utilities to shut off power to prevent electrical lines from sparking blazes.