A WASTE company in Bolton has warned of the dangers of improper waste removals - from exploding fridges to flammable plasterboard.

Kollect, an Irish company with an office in Bolton, operates an online marketplace that connects customers who need to dispose of waste with well known, reliable waste collection companies using an on-demand technology platform.

The Bolton News launched its own fly-tipping campaign at the start of 2021.

Abbie Hunter, the firm's Bolton-based business development manager, said the complexities of waste removal render some ways of going about it incredibly dangerous.

She said: “A lot of people don’t know about the licences you need for waste removal and will think ‘oh, I have a van.’

“I get that people - especially now - are trying to make a living, but there’s a reason why things are done properly and there is a cost to it. A lot of people will just throw waste into streets or into landfills without properly sorting them out.”

Abbie says fridges and mattresses require particular experience in being removed.

Fridges need to be de-gassed and have their circuits and wiring made secure so they do not pose any harm.

A fridge improperly disposed of can combust and seriously injure someone.

Similarly, plasterboard can release gases that can start fires, once thrown into the vat of waste that is a landfill.

Mattresses also require a machine to break them up and shred their metal - but would otherwise take up a lot of space wherever they end up.

Abbie added: “A lot of people advertise on social media and if you go on Facebook, you’ll be able to see loads of people offering waste removal.

“If they have a van, a mobile phone number and a Facebook account, they’re laughing.

“They don’t think of the consequences themselves. If they are offering £1 per bag of rubbish, they might not know what’s even in it.

“We’ve had all sorts of waste in bags and some of it can be a serious biohazard.”

Kollect first launched in Greater Manchester last year and has further plans for its own app.