The council has been working with the Recycle Your Electricals scheme – led by Material Focus – to encourage residents to dispose of their vapes and other electricals alongside batteries at local household recycling centres.
A ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland is due to come into effect on 1 April 2025, for which Aberdeenshire council said it voiced its support back in June 2023.
However, new research into vapes commissioned by Material Focus found that new “big puff” style vapes are set to grow in popularity despite the coming ban.
Additionally, it found that 8.2 million vapes are now thrown away every week in the UK, including big puff, single use, and single-use pod vapes – compared to five million single-use vapes last year.
At the same time the research found that the number of battery fires in the waste stream had increased to over 1,200 in the last year, an increase of 71% from 700 in 2022.
These fires are often caused by vapes and batteries which are incorrectly disposed of in residual waste.
In September 2023, a collection of disposable vapes exploded during the routine compaction of a general waste skip at Westhill’s recycling centre in Aberdeen, igniting its contents and leading to local fire services being called upon to extinguish the blaze.
Councillor Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC), said: “Anything with a plug, battery, or cable can and should be recycled. This includes single-use vapes, which continue to be among the most environmentally wasteful and damaging consumer products ever made. They are often marketed as “disposable” but are also often made from steel, aluminium, copper, and lithium—some of the most valuable resources on the planet.”
ISC vice chair Councillor Isobel Davidson added: “Vapes and electricals with batteries contaminate waste and recycling collections and the environment. They should never be littered or put inside any kerbside collection bins where they can easily cause fires and put our collection crews at risk. Alongside Aberdeenshire council’s solutions for recycling these items, please check in with local shops and other organisations who will often have battery and vape recycling collections in other easy to access locations.”
The council has placed specialised drums at its recycling centres to encourage the safe disposal of vapes and other e-cigarettes. They are then transported to a Veolia facility in Portsmouth for recycling.
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