A waste management company, Biffa, has warned that households in England could face fines of £600 for placing banned disposable vapes in their black or recycling bins. Under the UK Government's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) guidance, any household that breaches its waste duty of care can be penalised with a £600 fine.
Biffa's Warning on BBC Breakfast
Carla Brian from Biffa appeared on BBC Breakfast on Monday, June 1, to highlight that approximately 200,000 disposable vapes are still being thrown away each month. She explained that this practice poses a serious fire risk at waste collection and recycling centres across the country.
Brian stated: "The awareness that's out there and the risks that are associated with putting vapes in household containers isn't enough. So, what we want is a consumer behavior change and that being that consumers take their vapes back to the stores that they bought them, that they're legally obligated to do so and to take those back and we think an incentive is the way to do that."
Fire Risks Across the Industry
Brian described the problem as "huge" across the waste industry, with roughly five fires per day occurring from household and commercial collection vehicles. She added: "Last month alone in our four biggest recycling facilities that treat household waste, we saw over 200,000 vapes contained within the waste."
Industry and Local Government Reactions
Patrick Brighty, the Environmental Services Association's head of recycling policy, commented: "Despite the ban, each week operators across the waste sector continue to see hundreds of thousands of carelessly discarded vapes arrive at their facilities hidden among other waste, which poses a major fire risk." He noted that vapes discarded with other rubbish are rarely recycled, leading to a waste of precious materials.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for a ban on disposable vapes. Councillor Dr Wendy Taylor, chairwoman of the LGA's health and wellbeing committee, said that the second year of the ban must focus on enforcement and closing the "loophole" of these vapes. She stated: "A year on, the volume of vapes in our bins has dropped, but industry has moved faster than regulation – the products causing fires in our bin lorries today are effectively the same disposables in a different shell."
Retailer Compliance Issues
Marcus Saxton, chairman of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, acknowledged that "more to be done" regarding retailer compliance. He warned: "Those retailers that aren't abiding by their legal obligation won't do this, it won't be enforced, and ultimately consumers will go to that route to purchase which is a complete disaster." Saxton added that many illicit retailers are either sourcing from the black market or ignoring their legal obligations.
The existing infrastructure for returning and recycling vapes is underperforming due to a lack of incentives, according to Brighty. The LGA and industry bodies are calling for stronger enforcement to prevent fires and improve recycling rates.
