By Dr Adam Read MBE

In 2025, we have seen 339 fires at our waste sorting centres and refuse trucks right across the UK, all caused by incorrectly discarded batteries. This equates to more than one fire a day.

The vast majority of these fires are suspected to be caused by vapes which people have thrown in their rubbish or recycling.

In June this year, the Government banned all single-use vapes in the UK and all retailers selling vapes are now required to have special battery recycling bins. This is a welcome and important first step.

Sadly however, the reality is it has proved to have had little impact on the mountain of vapes which end up in our rubbish every day. Vapes are still an all-too-common sight dumped on the street, in bins and at recycling centres across the country. It is clear that people still treat these cheap vapes as disposable.

We need to see much bolder action from the Government and manufacturers to address this.

All vapes are powered by lithium-ion batteries,........

© LBC