London, December 02, 2025
Waste management firms in the UK are grappling with a surge in fires at recycling and waste transfer centres triggered by discarded vapes, despite the nationwide ban on single-use disposable vapes implemented on June 1, 2025. This ongoing issue poses significant fire risks and highlights shortcomings in consumer disposal practices.
Crisis Escalation Post-Ban
Since the ban’s enactment, major waste handler Biffa has documented more than 180 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries across its UK sites, with 60 fires recorded in June alone. Between June and September, the company uncovered upwards of 840,000 vapes discarded at four key facilities in Teesside, Walsall, Ipswich, and North London. On average, approximately 7,000 vapes enter Biffa’s processing centres daily, amounting to nearly 300 per hour, illustrating the scale of improper disposal.
The intensity of the crisis is reflected by waste industry-wide vape-related fires occurring at a rate exceeding one per day. In January, a fire believed to have started from a discarded vape nearly destroyed one of Biffa’s West Midlands sites, underscoring the threat to infrastructure and operations.
Why the Ban Has Not Stemmed the Problem
Despite regulatory efforts to eliminate single-use disposable vapes, the trend of swift disposal persists, with many consumers discarding rechargeable devices improperly. Spot checks at Biffa’s Aldridge facility revealed that 78% of found vapes were rechargeable, indicating widespread non-compliance with recycling mandates.
Material Focus estimates weekly vape disposals in the UK at 8.2 million units, many not entering appropriate recycling streams. Although retail recycling rates have increased from 8% in 2023 to 20% in 2024, this improvement has been overshadowed by a 37% rise in vape sales, reaching 13.5 million units purchased weekly in 2024. This imbalance contributes directly to increased waste and fire risks.
Context Within the Broader Battery Fire Epidemic
The vape fire problem is part of a larger rise in lithium battery-related incidents across the UK’s waste system. In 2024 alone, battery fires surged 71%, with over 1,200 recorded incidents, many stemming from vape batteries. Vape-related fire incidents rose significantly, from 89 in 2020 to 399 in 2024, with a total of 1,056 incidents reported by 39 fire and rescue services between 2020 and 2024.
Safety Risks and Industry Concerns
Leaders at Biffa have warned about the severe dangers vape fires pose, especially given the rapid spread potential within dry waste materials and the harmful smoke generated. The safety of waste workers is a particular concern; frontline refuse workers have reported numerous fires in collection vehicles linked to vapes, though no serious injuries have yet occurred.
The industry remains cautiously hopeful that sustained regulatory pressure and improved consumer recycling behavior will reduce incidents. However, the first six months following the ban have not yielded the anticipated decline in fires.
As vape-related waste continues to challenge UK recycling and waste management infrastructure, ongoing collaboration between policymakers, industry stakeholders, and consumers will be critical to mitigating fire risks and fostering safer disposal habits.