Major fire warning to anyone who vapes as businesses face £6,000 fines in days
WITH an impending vape ban looming, customers and businesses have been warned of the potential risks of disposing of vapes.
Using lithium batteries, disposable vapes pose a huge risk of fire if they’re not properly disposed of.
They will be banned under UK Government legislation coming into effect on June 1.
Ahead of the ban Businesswaste.co.uk has warned customers and businesses to dispose of the devices properly.
More than 40 tonnes of lithium, used in the batteries, was thrown out with disposable vapes in the UK in 2022 — enough to power 5,000 electric cars.
Businesses could face hefty fines of up to £6,000 and customers could inadvertently start fires if they are careless in throwing away their old vapes.
Disposable vapes are classed as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) items.
BusinessWaste.co.uk reports that any shop or other business that sells more than £100,000 of electrical goods per year must provide an in-store solution where customers can dispose of the products.
To ensure they’re compliant, businesses must also provide and display information to customers about the disposal service they offer
They must also keep a record of all WEEE items they collect and dispose of and keep records of how they tell customers about their disposal scheme.
Any businesses that fail to adhere to the regulations risks a fine of up to £6,000 and further prosecution.
Customers tossing their used disposable vapes into a regular bin could cause fires and environmental damage.
The devices are classed as WEEE products and must be disposed of appropriately.
What are the new vape laws?
Ministers have pledged to crackdown on poorly regulated vapes and e-cigarettes following an explosion in the number of teenagers who use them.
New rules for manufacturers and shopkeepers are expected to come into force in 2025.
They are set to include:
- Higher tax rates paid on vapes increase the price and make it harder for children to afford them
- A ban on single-use vapes in favour of devices that can be recharged
- A ban on colourful and cartoonish packaging that may appeal to youngsters
- Tighter controls on flavourings and a ban on unnecessarily sweet or child-friendly ones like bubblegum and candy
- More regulation on how and where they are displayed in shops, potentially putting them out of sight
- Harsher penalties for shops caught selling them to under-18s
The ban on disposable vapes is part of ambitious government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping.
A report published by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found 20.5 per cent of children in the UK had tried vaping in 2023, up from 15.8 per cent in 2022 and 13.9 per cent in 2020.
If vapes with lithium batteries are crushed or damaged they can produce immense heat.
This can potentially set bin lorries and waste management sites ablaze.
Disposable vapes that end up in landfill sites could leak nicotine, battery acid and chemicals from plastics into the environment.
Customers and businesses have been urged to dispose of their vapes appropriately before the ban comes into effect.
Vapers have been warned away from stockpiling the disposable products as well.
A stockpile of devices using lithium batteries could pose a potential fire risk in the home.
Poor storage conditions can dramatically shorten the shelf life of disposable vapes and lead to serious risk of fire.
Retailers could face fines of up to £200 if they continue to sell disposable vapes after June 1.
WEEE waste professionals said: “Many people mistakenly believe that vapes can be tossed into their regular bin at home, but they’re actually classed as WEEE, which has strict rules for disposal.
“When vapes are disposed of in household bins, this can lead to fires in bin trucks and at waste management sites, posing a huge risk to workers and the public.”