HOUSEHOLD recycling centres across Worcestershire will now be accepting disposable vapes in a bid to reduce the amount ending up in black bins.
Research released last year by Material Focus showed 5 million vapes are disposed of each week in the UK, yet only 17 per cent of the people polled for the research said they recycle them.
These vapes contain valuable materials including a total of 10 tonnes of lithium, which when recycled is enough to produce the batteries for 1200 electric vehicles.
Worcestershire County Council’s waste contractors, Severn Waste Services, are now offering recycling facilities for these vapes at their household recycling centres across the county..
Councillor Emma Stokes, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “Like any other electrical item with a plug, battery or cable, vapes should never be binned and always recycled, but there is a lot of confusion for residents as vapes are labelled and marketed as “disposable” so they believe that they should go into the black bin once used.
“Not only do they contain materials such as lithium and copper that can be easily recycled, but they can also cause fires in collection vehicles and recycling facilities.”
Jane Hartill from Severn Waste Services said:
“We are always working alongside Worcestershire County Council to provide the most up to date recycling facilities for its residents and we are pleased to be able to offer vape recycling at the county’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC’s).
“We would remind residents not to put them in the general waste or green recycling bins as there is a risk of fire and they can’t be recycled via the kerbside service.”
Visit www.letswasteless.com for more information.
