Safety Manager at DWFRS advises of risks vapes pose with inappropriate disposal
The quality of batteries can cause fires in homes and landfill sites
Last updated 17th Sep 2023
As the government considers banning the sale of disposable vapes to under 18s, a Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) manager has told us about the risks they pose to our safety.
It’s thought children are the targeted age group of the products.
Graham Kewley is the Safety Delivery Manager for DWFRS and says the batteries and their stability are key to them being stored safely in homes and disposed of without danger.
He said the lithium ion-based power sources can cause a reaction that generates heat should they be damaged or be cheaper models.
“The risks associated with vaping products are both through the inappropriate disposal of them where they might be crushed or get wet, which destabilises the battery, but also those that are incorrectly charged.”
Graham recommended the appropriate use of the correct charger for the products as degradation of the battery can lead to ‘catastophic damage’.
And should a potential explosion happen in conjunction with combustible items, which can be found in our homes and in rubbish bins, there’s a high fire risk in properties and in landfill, or even in the bin lorries.
Graham told us that vapes should be disposed of through appropriate recycling facilities.
He says the key is that they avoid ending up in landfill.
“Most household recycling sites have battery recycling capability, which can take these types of devices, but also the vape shops where they're originally purchased from a number of these also have recycling routes so that you can return them to the store and they will then recycle them on your behalf.”
Graham explained that the risk lies in the smaller and cheaper batteries, which ‘don’t have the same quality control’.
“They're often from counterfeit or foreign sources where you can't guarantee the the battery technology and those are the ones that present the biggest risk”