Disposable vapes found strewn across beauty spots are 'environmental menace'

29 January 2023 , 16:05

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Disused vape pens are often found on streets or at beauty spots (Image: UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Disposable vapes are the latest environmental menace and have been found strewn across beaches, beauty spots and ­pavements.

Booming in popularity, especially among those aged 18-34, they are easy to use and cheap, typically costing just a few pounds for around 600 puffs – equivalent to a pack of 20 cigarettes.

Because they contain ­valuable materials such as lithium batteries and copper, as well as plastic, vapes are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Users are supposed to dispose of them at a household recycling centre or at the shop where they bought the device.

But they are not straightforward to recycle. If damaged when thrown away, lithium batteries can cause fires at waste disposal plants.

Half-a-billion vapes are bought each year in the UK, with more than half thrown directly in the bin. That’s 10 tons of lithium – equivalent to 1,200 electric vehicle batteries.

They look and taste like sweets - no wonder underage vaping is sweeping Britain

Disposable electronic cigarettes are difficult to recycle (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Millions more are dumped on the streets. It has led to campaigners like Laura Young to call for a ban. Laura, a PhD student and climate activist, collects discarded vapes littering her hometown of Dundee.

“I think people are unaware of just what is inside a disposable vape. They are shocked to find out there is a battery inside,” she said.

The Scottish Government is now considering a ban, and in Ireland, a consultation is under way.

Scott Butler, from Material Focus, a not-for-profit ­organisation focusing on recycling e-waste, said: “Throwing away vapes means that we are throwing away some of the most precious materials on our planet. A key part of the problem is that some vapes are advertised as disposable.

“Producers and retailers need to work together to ensure people are aware vapes should never be binned and instead be recycled.

“Recycling needs to be made easier by the adding of collection points in-store.”

Nada Farhoud