Is it time to ban disposable vapes? Maybe so, as three disposable vapes are being binned incorrectly every second in the UK, says Zurich, causing a surge in fires in council refuse trucks and waste processing plants, a new study shows. Research released today by Zurich Municipal, reveals 78% of an estimated 138 million single use vapes sold every year in the UK are being dumped in general waste, instead of being recycled. It could mean more than two million single use vapes are thrown away improperly every week. Last year, a report by Material Focus found 1.3 million vapes of all types are discarded every week.
For all insurers this creates an ongoing fire hazard in every part of the waste and recycling chain.
The study reveals widespread consumer confusion over the correct way to dispose of spent vapes, with three out of four (72%) users unaware the devices cannot be binned in household waste or recycling. As a result, 107 million disposable vapes a year are ending up in the general waste stream, where they are being blamed for a sharp rise in fires.
Freedom of Information data obtained by Zurich Municipal shows the number of bin lorries hit by blazes has leapt 62% in the last two years. Fire crews in the UK were called to 125 fires in 2022, up from just 77 in 2020. Alarmingly, the data shows house fires sparked by vapes have also more than doubled in two years from 59 in 2020 to 123 in 2022 – an increase of 108%.
Growing problem
The number of vape users in the UK has grown rapidly – from 3.7 million in 2021 to 4.3 million** last year – but consumer education has failed to keep pace. Despite the potential fire hazards posed by vapes, three out of four (70%) users are unaware the devices contain lithium batteries. A further two thirds (63%) do not realise the batteries can combust if they are damaged or crushed.
Last year, research by Material Focus, a non-profit organisation that promotes the recycling of electrical items, found more than 700 fires in refuse trucks and recycling centres were caused by batteries that had been dumped in general waste. As well as picking up the cost of fires caused by spent vapes, taxpayers are also footing the clean-up bill. Almost one in 10 (7%) vape users said they typically drop empty devices in the street, meaning as many as 9.6 million end up in the gutter each year – the equivalent of 26,500 every day.
Alix Bedford, a risk expert at Zurich Municipal, said: “Laid end to end, the number of disposable vapes discarded incorrectly in the UK every week would circle all 117 miles of the M25. This highlights the huge and growing scale of vape waste local authorities are grappling with.
“While councils have long battled the nuisance of cigarette litter, single use vapes are emerging as an altogether more complex and hazardous problem. Flammable lithium batteries inside vapes pose a hidden danger to waste and recycling workers and are causing costly damage and disruption to waste management services. With house fires sparked by disposable and rechargeable vapes also on the rise, the government must take a lead in driving consumer awareness to curb this growing threat.”
Phil Clark, National Fire Chiefs Council, Emerging technologies Lead, said: “Fires caused by lithium batteries can be prevented by the correct disposal of everyday products like vapes. These fires can be serious incidents which can put firefighters and staff working in waste and recycling centres at risk of harm. NFCC would welcome more consumer messaging. Further work to make the disposal of these products easy and accessible would be a great support to the prevention advice fire and rescue services share with their communities.”
Lack of consumer awareness
Single use vapes, which last around 600 puffs, can be discarded at household recycling centres or at retailers that sell the devices or other electrical items.
However, a majority of the 1,000 vape users surveyed by Zurich Municipal said they typically binned disposable vapes in household waste (41%), street bins (28%), household recycling (27%) and at work (20%). Just 15% said they use a local authority recycling site while only 13% returned used vapes to retailers. Just 15% of consumers knew larger stores that sell small electrical items – such as supermarkets – offer take back schemes for vapes and other items that contain lithium batteries.
With e-cigarettes containing 0.15g of lithium, it means more than 16 tonnes of the rare metal is ending up in landfill or incinerators each year – enough to build batteries for 2,000 electric cars. Half (48%) of vape users backed a campaign to raise public awareness of the proper ways to dispose of single use vapes. Some 42% of consumers felt vape packaging does not contain enough information on safe ways to dispose of the devices.
Zurich also called for the government to create a separate category for vapes under Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling regulations, to ensure vapes can be collected and recycled in a safe way.
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