Latest news with #RecycleYourElectricals
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The recycling dos and don'ts for throwing out your vapes
The government's ban on disposable vapes has come into force across the UK, making it illegal for any retailer to sell them. The ban applies to places such as supermarkets, corner shops and specialist vape shops, and aims to target both the waste caused by the devices, and the use of disposable vapes by young people. Retailers who break the rules will be first hit with a £200 fine and have all the offending products seized: those who reoffend face unlimited fines or jail time. The government has said the ban will help "call time on these nasty devices" saying the products have "blighted our streets as litter". So, as the ban comes into force, Yahoo News takes a look at what's going on and how people can dispose of their vapes properly. However, some vaping industry experts have warned that reusable devices are already on sale at the same price, in the same packaging, as disposables, and that vape producers are changing products to fit with the ban. Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, which leads the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, told ITV News: "Vape producers are being infinitely creative with their products in order to avoid the forthcoming disposable vape ban. 'We might need more flexible legislation to deal with the challenges of new products with similar challenges surging onto the market." Single-use vape are ones with a battery you cannot recharge or replace, and these are the ones affected by the ban. Top brands include Elf Bar and Lost Mary. Reusable vapes must have rechargeable batteries, refillable containers and removable and replaceable coils if applicable. Data from anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health found that the number of vapers who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025 The use of disposables among 18 to 24-year-olds vapers has already declined this year, from 52% in 2024 to 40% in 2025. Almost five million disposable vapes were either littered or discarded very week last year, according to campaign group Material Focus. The devices also use lithium which is required for electric car batteries, and can explode, leading to a series of fires at waste sites. Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources at Green Alliance, said in a statement: 'Single use vapes should never have been allowed on the market. They've been a blight on our countryside, wasted resources needed for important uses like EV batteries and caused scores of fires at waste sites. 'They've done all this while having a lasting impact on the health of young people, creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.' The ban does not apply to using disposable vapes, only selling them, so if you have any left there is no problem about using them. However, the Local Government Association has warned that stockpiling single-use vapes is a fire risk, with the lithium batteries in the devices posing a potential risk to life if stored incorrectly. That means you should not recycle vapes in household waste due to the high fire risk from the devices. Instead, there are recycling centres around Britain which can deal with single-use vapes. They are often taken apart by hand to deal with the batteries in the devices, which can also leak harmful chemicals. To find one near you, visit Recycle Your Electricals, enter your postcode, and type 'vape' in the box. Recycle Your Electricals can also help you find places to recycle used vape pods and other vaping waste, as well as recycling broken vapes. Household waste sites will also have bins for devices. All household waste and recycling centres have bins for electricals and batteries. If you can remove the battery, recycle it separately. If you can't, recycle the whole vaping kit with your electrical recycling," Recycle Your Electricals says. Read more This is what vaping does to your body Eight lesser-known vaping health risks as non-smoker users rise
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Daily Record
How can you recycle disposable vapes ahead of ban?
It will become illegal to sell single-use vapes from June 1 - but how can you safely get rid of the ones you currently have? A UK-wide ban on disposable vapes comes into force this weekend, meaning the brightly-coloured nicotine sticks will be stripped from shelves across the country. The move is a bid to stop youngsters getting hooked while also protecting the environment. As of Sunday, June 1, a new law will be in place, making it illegal to sell e-cigs. Suppliers caught flouting the new rule will be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £200 as an alternative to criminal prosecution for a first offence. The penalty for each following offence would increase by £200 each time. If they don't accept the fine, or in instances where an enforcement officer does not consider a fine appropriate, the offender can be fined a maximum of £5,000, sentenced to two years in prison, or both. The new law means merchants can get into big bother if they continue selling disposable puffers after this weekend, but the same rules do not apply to vapers themselves. Selling them is illegal, but using them is not. This has led to people "stockpiling" their favourite vapes, with sales of the most popular flavours more than doubling in recent weeks ahead of the ban. Whether you have been stocking up ahead of the ban, or just have some lying about your home, knowing how to properly get rid of them is crucial. There are more than 11 fires a week linked to the unsafe disposal of vapes, and there has been a 348 per cent surge in e-cig-related blazes in the UK between 2020 and 2025. Research has found that only 17 per cent of people dispose of their vapes correctly, with many mistakenly believing you can just chuck them in the bin at home. However, they are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), which has strict rules for disposal. The lithium-ion batteries within the devices can overheat and ignite when damaged or crushed, so this puts them at risk in your home, on the street, in bin lorries, or at waste management sites. And vapes that end up in landfill can leach battery acid, nicotine, and chemicals from the plastic into the environment. As WEEE waste is classed as hazardous or controlled waste, it must be disposed of separately from normal rubbish. If you are caught breaching your household waste duty of care, you can be fined up to £600 and it could void your home insurance if one catches fire in your bin. So disposing of vapes correctly isn't just better for the environment, it's better for you. Thankfully, there are a number of simple ways you can get rid of your nicotine sticks safely. According to the team at Recycle Your Electricals, it can be as simple as taking your vapes back to the store where you bought them. All retailers that sell them must accept your old e-cigs, making it as easy to recycle them as it is to buy them Certain local authorities collect electrical devices for recycling, either with your regular collection or by special arrangement. Contact your council to find out if that is possible where you live. Alternatively, you can take vapes to your local tip. All recycling centres have sections for electricals and batteries. If you are able to remove the battery, recycle it separately, if not, you can put the whole device in with the electrical recycling. Smaller recycling banks also often have a spot for electricals. This could be at your local superstore, in a car park, or even at a designated roadside stop. If you know of one such bank close to you, check out if they have electrical recycling facilities. Up to 80 per cent of vapes can be recycled, so making sure they don't just end up on landfill - or causing fires in your bin - is vital. To find your nearest vape recycling spot, you can put your postcode into Recycle Your Electricals ' handy checker. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
ITV News
22-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Air Fryers - The Healthy Option?
The Air Fryer Takeover: There are now over 20 million air fryers across the UK, with two thirds of homes owning one. ITV's Tonight programme reveals the scale of the air fryer revolution in our kitchens, as figures show that the air fryer craze is far from over. A study undertaken for the programme by campaign group Recycle Your Electricals found that an estimated 20 million air fryers have made their way into our homes, with two thirds of adults now owning one. Tech journalist Lara Lewington has been exploring whether they're better than their traditional counterparts… or is it all just hot air? A specialist cooking instructions lab, Leatherhead Food Research, found that air fryer ownership is increasing by 10% year on year. They also revealed that most homes are typically using their gadgets to cook meals for two people. And the percentage of owners who use their air fryer daily has also increased. With more and more of us now using these counter top gadgets to rustle up our meals, Leatherhead Food Research are on hand to help food manufacturers get it right. The team help manufacturers perfect cooking instructions, ensuring our food is safe to eat. Their work is now being dominated by air fryers: Leatherhead's Head of Cooking Instructions, Natasha Burton, told Tonight: 'In 2024, air fryers became our second most popular cooking technique, overtaking microwaves for the first time.' With kitchens across the country now whirring to the sound of air fryers and new models being released every month, some are beginning to wonder how long this craze will last and what impact it might have. Scott Butler from Recycle Your Electricals looked into how many of these appliances are gathering dust, with some shocking findings. They told Tonight a whopping 764,000 air fryers aren't being used and a further 1.5 million have been thrown away. Meaning over 2.25 million air fryers are being unused or discarded that could otherwise be recycled. Scott told Tonight: 'If you've got an air fryer that is still working and you no longer need it try and sell them, try and donate them, definitely recycle them because the material that's sat inside of them can do good somewhere else.' He said that these gadgets might have revolutionised our kitchens, but they can go on to make huge changes elsewhere once recycled; 'It's full of steel, aluminum, plastics, sometimes ceramics, copper, it could be used in anything from life saving equipment to school playgrounds to new electricals.'
BBC News
02-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Vape warning after battery causes bin lorry fire
A fire service has warned people of the dangers of not properly disposing of batteries after a bin lorry caught blaze happened on Ash Hill Crescent in Hatfield, Doncaster at about 10:10 BST, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue fire was believed to have been caused by a lithium-ion battery, commonly found in returned to the scene 45 minutes later when the waste partially reignited in the back of the lorry. Crews found seven lithium-ion batteries among the waste, one of which had caught fire. A spokesperson said the incident was "a reminder of how vital it is to not put batteries of any kind within your household waste".According to data gathered by the Recycle Your Electricals campaign group, lithium-ion batteries thrown in household rubbish bins have led to hundreds of fires, with 77 of the UK's 382 local authorities reporting 242 incidents in the 12 months to April 2024.A spokesperson for the organisation said common household batteries, including lithium-ion button batteries, should be recycled at dedicated battery collection points. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
