Igniting Change: Harnessing Battery and Vape Recycling to Combat Fires

Seen as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, vapes are small electronic devices that allow people to inhale nicotine as a vapour instead of smoke. The government has now announced that one million smokers will be given a free vaping starter kit to encourage them to give up tobacco products. But are the government playing with fire? Vaping is on the rise. In the UK alone, we bin a massive 1.3 million disposable e-cigarettes each week; enough to cover 22 football pitches [Source]. After running out of puff, many vapes are dumped by the roadside or in waste. This prevalence of vapes has caused serious implications for the waste sector. Disposable vapes are now leading to an increasing number of fires at waste facilities.

What are the risks?

Many people don’t realise that vapes contain lithium batteries and are considered e-waste under the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations. This means everyone has an obligation to dispose of batteries through a proper recycling and collection point.Currently, too many batteries are ending up in general or recycling bins. When collected, these can be chopped up, damaged or split open by blades and compaction equipment used within the waste industry. When damaged in refuse collection vehicles or at waste facilities, batteries can catch fire or explode and cause serious damage to surrounding equipment and endanger lives. Batteries are the leading cause of fires within the waste industry and annually cause over 700 fires across England [Source: Material Focus].

There is little guidance from manufacturers on how to properly dispose of used vapes, with many members of the public unaware of the dangers of incorrect disposal.This puts your workplace and staff at risk of electrical fires which can happen if batteries are crushed in general waste. “Fires caused by carelessly discarded batteries endanger lives, cause millions of pounds of damage and disrupt waste services,” said Jacob Hayler, Environmental Services Association’s executive director. What’s more, if you do not have battery recycling, you could be breaking the law. It is a legal requirement to properly dispose of batteries.

What are we doing?

We’re taking action and expanding our battery service to include vapes. You can now dispose of used vapes in your existing battery box or tube. If you don’t have a battery service, you can easily set this up. All you need to do is simply deposit your building’s batteries and vapes in a pre-paid box or tube which can be bought or rented through our helpdesk or office supplies website. Once full, book a collection and we’ll separate the items and send to our trusted UK recycling partner, in Barking.

Why should you care as a business?

• Preventing fires – Batteries cause “three and half times more” fires in the waste stream than previously reported [Material Focus].
• Compliance – It’s a legal requirement as a business to have provision to recycle batteries.