Somerset Council and its collections contractor, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, are urging residents to do the right thing with their vapes once they have finished them.
The call follows an increase in vapes being thrown in bins and mixed in with recyclables at the kerbside.
If they are not disposed of correctly, vapes present a danger to crews and the recycling facilities. When compacted, for example on a refuse truck, they can ignite and start a fire. It is vitally important that vapes are disposed of correctly alongside other recycling.
Following an increase in the use of vapes, the two organisations are calling for residents to consider the environmental and safety impacts about what happens to their vapes once they are finished with.
Vapes are full of harmful chemicals, metals, a battery and electronics and should be responsibly disposed of once they have reached the end of their life.
To safely recycle both reusable and non-reusable vapes the council now asks residents to keep them separate by putting them into a small, clear tied bag, such as a sandwich bag, and leave it on top of one the recycling boxes.
The bag of vapes should not be mixed in with other recycling so that crews can easily identify them. Vapes should no longer be included in the same bag as batteries or small electricals for kerbside collection. Vapes should never be put in with general rubbish.
Cllr Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Waste at Somerset Council said:
The number of vapes in use is on the rise and it’s important that the right thing is done with them. Too many vapes are discarded in the general rubbish and this can be harmful to both our crews and the public. If crushed, the battery hidden inside has the potential to explode.
We are now asking for vapes to be presented separately with your recycling. They should not be included with batteries or small electricals, but instead in their own small, clear, tied bag.
Philip De Wavrin, Senior Production Manager at SUEZ said:
The amount of vapes we are seeing on our sites is ever increasing. To keep the crews and facilities free from potential fires it is really important that residents separate vapes as we have described.
We want to thank residents in advance for keeping vapes bagged and separated from all other recycling and therefore keeping our crews and the facility safe.
Alternatively, vapes can also be returned to the shop they were bought from to be recycled, a list of collection points can also be found at www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk.
A ban on single-use vapes will come into Law on 1 June 2025, but it is thought that numbers of single-use vapes will remain in use for a while after this.
If you or someone you know is thinking about quitting smoking or needs support to stop vaping, Smokefree Somerset offers free, friendly help to get started.
Visit www.smokefreesomerset.org.uk or call 01823 356222 to speak with a trained advisor.
Smokefree Somerset advises that while vaping can be a helpful quitting aid for adults who smoke, it is not recommended for non-smokers. It is also illegal to sell vaping products to anyone under the age of 18.
