Leading waste firm Biffa reveals it has found 840,000 discarded vapes in the space of just four months – as well as the hidden fire risks they continue to pose
More than 180 fires at rubbish dumps have been caused by “zombie batteries” since a ban on disposable vapes came into force earlier this year, a leading operator has revealed.
Biffa says more than 840,000 vapes were found in four of its biggest waste sites between June and September alone.
The vapes’ batteries contain lithium-ion batteries which, if punctured, crushed or damaged can reach dangerously high temperatures and cause ferocious fires. They have been branded “zombie batteries” because, if disposed of incorrectly in general waste or recycling bins, they can come back to life by exploding in bin lorries and waste centre sites, putting workers at serious risk, damaging equipment, disrupting services and causing environmental harm.
Biffa has teamed-up with consumer safety charity Electrical Safety First to issue a timely warning to coincide with Halloween. It said the risk also extends to battery-powered decorations, light-up costumes and novelty gadgets that can also pose a risk if their batteries are binned incorrectly and then damaged.
Video footage released to highlight the danger shows a Biffa waste lorry emptying its smouldering contents onto the road, as a fire caused by a battery, erupts. More recently, a blaze is at one of Biffa’s transfer stations in Coventry in August this year caused extensive damage, and it remains closed while repairs continue.
Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, said: “Incorrectly disposing of a vape in the general household waste or recycling can have very real and frightening consequences for waste collection workers who are just trying to do their job.
“Vapes contain lithium-ion batteries, and if these batteries are thrown away incorrectly, they risk coming back to life in gruesome fashion by exploding and causing ferocious fires that put workers at risk. Every individual household can help turn the tide on this issue one action at a time. We urge all households to stop, think, and don’t bin the battery.”
Luke Walter, manager of Biffa’s Aldridge materials recovery facility in Walsall, experienced first-hand the devastation these fires can cause, after an incorrectly disposed of vape with a lithium-ion battery exploded. The blaze earlier this year put the site out of action for six months, landing Biffa with a multi-million-pound repair and rebuild bill.
“The fire here in January was particularly devastating,” he said. “The most important thing is that everyone went home safe and well but, understandably, the immediate concern was job security. The site is now fully operational again, and while we remain hyper-vigilant about fire risks, the danger will persist as long as batteries – lithium-ion or alkaline – hidden in small electrical devices such as vapes continue to be placed in general waste and recycling bins.”
Electrical Safety First and Biffa are reminding households with the message “Don’t bin the battery” this Halloween.
Instead they advise:
- Recycle vapes in store: All retailers that sell vapes in the UK must take back your old one to recycle.
- At your local recycling centre: Many household waste and recycling centres have facilities for electricals and batteries. If your product has a removable battery, recycle it separately.
- Locate your nearest battery recycling facility: Go to www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk to find your local recycling point that has the capability to accept batteries.