Overview
- Biffa reports finding more than 840,000 discarded vapes at four major UK sites between June and September.
- The company says roughly 7,000 vapes a day—nearly 300 an hour—now enter its waste facilities.
- Company data shared with Electrical Safety First attributes over 180 fires since June to damaged lithium-ion batteries.
- Incidents have caused costly disruptions, including a six-month shutdown at Biffa’s Aldridge facility and ongoing repairs at a Coventry transfer station after an August blaze.
- Households are urged not to bin batteries, with recycling options including in-store takeback, household recycling centers, and battery drop-off points, and the warning extends to battery-powered Halloween items.