16 Apr THE Government is “playing with fire” with its proposed vape swap to stop scheme
THE Government is “playing with fire” with its proposed vape swap to stop scheme, a leading trade association has warned.
Under new measures, councils and others are set to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter-kit in a bid to drive down cigarette use.
But the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) say the scheme poses a fire risk because the current regulations for disposal of both single-use and rechargeable vapes are often not being followed and are leading to an increasing number of blazes.
James Kelly, the CEO of the BMRA, said: “ Vapes are essentially small electronic devices and are subject to regulations when no longer required. However, the reality is that not enough of the public are aware of this and often throw vapes and other electronic items containing lithium-ion batteries in a bin, which, when damaged, are causing fires and can even explode.
“That’s why the BMRA is concerned about this scheme. We believe Ministers are playing with fire with this policy and that an awareness and education campaign is urgently needed.
“We are reiterating our call for lithium-ion batteries, alongside waste electrical and electronic equipment, to be able to be collected in a kerbside collection to ensure ease of disposal for householders.
“We also need to see a system for appropriate, on-the-go disposal of vapes being made available. This will help to protect workers from fires and explosions caused by these batteries and ensure all component parts can be safely and properly recycled.”
With 1.3 million single-use vapes thrown away every week, this scheme could add even more to that number requiring disposal. Lithium-ion batteries, according to Material Focus, cause “three and half times more” fires in the waste stream.
