Worcestershire residents are being warned of the serious dangers of incorrectly disposing of vapes and small electrical items, following two recent fires in Malvern waste collection vehicles.
Vapes and small electrical items should not be disposed of in green recycling or general waste bins as they contain lithium-ion batteries. These batteries can become damaged during the collection and sorting process, leading to a risk of them overheating, igniting, and causing a fire.
The fires posed a significant danger to refuse collection staff and the public and could also cause damage to the bin lorries.
This warning comes as major UK waste company Biffa announced that disposable vape waste has increased and continues to cause problems for the waste industry, including fires, despite the UK's ban on disposable vapes in June 2025.
While sales of disposables were high before the ban, Biffa and other waste management firms are seeing more improperly disposed-of vapes in their systems, potentially due to the rise of cheaper reusable devices that are also being binned instead of refilled or recycled.
Residents are reminded to take all vapes and other small electrical items, including old batteries, to their local Household Recycling Centre or return them to the shop that they bought the vapes from.
For more information visit the Let's Waste Less website.
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