Latest news with #onlinesellers
The Guardian
12-08-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Vape sellers to pay disposal costs under plans to end UK's ‘throwaway culture'
Vape sellers will have to pay for the disposal of the devices under plans announced by the government. Ministers said they would 'end the UK's throwaway culture' as they revealed measures to fund the recycling of electrical waste. Online vendors of electrical goods including microwaves and computers will have to contribute to the cost of recycling them at the end of their life, under a 'polluter pays principle'. At the moment, UK companies cover the costs associated with the collection and processing of electrical waste, which ministers said placed them at a disadvantage compared with their online rivals based abroad. It is hoped the new measures will bring investment into recycling to stop these devices being fly-tipped into the countryside or littered on the street. Industry estimates by Material Focus, a non-profit aiming to improve electrical recycling in the UK, found more than 100,000 tonnes of electricals such as irons and microwaves were binned across the UK each year. Levies placed on these online retailers would help improve the collection and treatment of waste items collected by local authorities or returned to retailers, and ensure there was increased investment in critical recycling infrastructure, the government said. Companies such as Amazon will have to register with the Environment Agency and report data on sales made by their overseas sellers in the UK, and this will be used to work out how much should be charged to finance the recycling of these objects. The circular economy minister, Mary Creagh, said: 'We are committed to moving towards a circular economy in which we keep electricals from laptops to toasters in use for longer. 'Ensuring online marketplaces pay their share for managing the cost of the electrical waste they generate will increase recycling and level the playing field for UK-based retailers, boosting growth and making the system fairer through our plan for change.' Electronics companies welcomed the change. Paula Coughlan, the chief sustainability officer at Currys, said: 'We welcome this positive change that helps create a more level playing field for UK retailers. It is important that the responsibility to safely dispose of electronic waste is shared fairly, and we're pleased the government has listened to us and other industry leaders. As well as making online marketplaces pay for the waste they create, we should be going further to set stretch targets and incentivise investment in cleaning it up too.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The government has introduced a new category for vapes to ensure the costs of their collection and treatment fall fairly on those who produce them. E-cigarettes, which have become more popular in recent years, contain valuable and critical materials such as lithium and copper. Material Focus has found the amount of rare earths thrown away in the past three years could have powered more than 16,000 electric vehicles. Scott Butler, the executive director of Material Focus, said: 'We welcome the new vape category announced today, which provides a further opportunity to tighten up the environmental enforcement of vapes. By understanding how many vapes are being sold, [the government] can set targets to ensure that vape producers make their fair contribution to the costs of recycling these products.'
Malay Mail
09-08-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
From stress relief to quitting smoking: How grown-ups in China ended up in the middle of a pacifier craze
BEIJING, Aug 9 — Move over bubble tea — China's newest craze is adult-sized pacifiers, and yes, people are actually buying them by the thousands. As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), online sellers claim they move more than 2,000 a month, with prices ranging from 10 to 500 yuan (RM5.90–RM295). Bigger than the baby version, shops tout them as stress-busters, sleep aids, quit-smoking tools and even breathing trainers. 'It's soft, comfortable, and doesn't block my breathing,' gushed one fan. Another swore it helped them quit smoking. One stressed-out office worker confessed: 'When I'm under pressure, I suck on the dummy. It feels like the safety of childhood.' Not everyone's convinced. According to SCMP, dentist Tang Caomin warned that long-term use could shift teeth, limit jaw movement and even pose a choking hazard if parts come loose at night. Psychologist Zhang Mo said the comfort might be masking deeper problems: 'The real solution is not to treat yourself as a child, but to face the challenge directly.' Still, with 60 million views of the product on one platform and plenty of tongue-in-cheek comments, the adult pacifier has cemented itself as China's latest conversation starter.
Digital Trends
04-08-2025
- Digital Trends
FBI warns of a particular scam involving QR codes
Scammers are increasingly exploiting QR codes to trick people into revealing financial information or installing malicious software on their devices. The FBI has recently issued a warning about a particular type of scam involving QR codes on packages delivered to people who didn't order them. Recommended Videos The scammers are clearly playing on our curious nature, with the appearance of an innocent-looking QR code likely to tempt at least some people to scan it to find out more about the mystery package they've just received. But this could take you on a journey where you end up being tricked into handing over personal details such as financial information, or downloading malware that could pull data from your phone. 'While this scam is not as widespread as other fraud schemes, the public should be aware of this criminal activity,' the FBI said. The agency said the activity is a variation of the so-called 'brushing scam' where online sellers send you unordered items so that it can use your name to post fake reviews to boost the product's rating. 'In a traditional brushing scam, online vendors send merchandise to an unsolicited recipient and then use the recipient's information to post a positive review of the product,' the FBI explained, adding that in this latest variation, 'scam actors have incorporated the use of QR codes on packages to facilitate financial fraud activities.' The FBI is imploring people to beware of delivered packages that they didn't order, and to avoid scanning QR codes from unknown origins. The agency's warning comes at a time when QR codes are being increasingly used in scams besides those involving unsolicited packages. QR codes are being used increasingly by criminals, mainly because of their growing presence in everyday life. It means scammers are even sticking fake codes over legitimate ones, so you need to be on your guard when you hold your phone over one, especially when you're out and about. The New York Department of Transportation, for example, recently alerted drivers to a scam where criminals were sticking QR codes on parking meters. The code directed anyone who scanned it to a third-party webpage asking for credit card information. These days, most phone cameras automatically recognize QR codes and, unless you've turned off the setting, show you the web address that you'll land on if you tap it to proceed. So even with codes that you think you can trust, take a moment to read that address before going ahead. As for QR codes stuck on packages that you didn't order, just ignore them entirely.
