Calls for £5 vape charge after spate of fires

Vape users could be asked to pay £5 extra for each device they buy after a spate of fires disrupted waste collection services.

In recent weeks, two recycling centres in Norfolk have suffered fires caused by lithium-ion batteries found in vapes and other small electricals being discarded in rubbish.

James Wright, former Norwich City Council mayor and leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said a mandatory scheme should urgently be introduced by the government to prevent further fires.

He has tabled a motion to be discussed at a full council meeting this week, suggesting a £5 deposit per device could be offered to encourage users.

He said: "This is about public safety and it is putting workers at risk.

"Councils are bearing the cost of dangerous fires, contaminated recycling, and clean-up, with these costs ultimately falling on local taxpayers.

"We also face growing environmental harm from littered and discarded vape devices."

The motion has been backed by fellow Norwich Lib Dem, Caroline Ackroyd.

Under the plan, anyone buying a vape would pay an extra £5 at the till which would then be refunded when they hand the device back.

Calls for a vape deposit scheme have been growing across the country due to concerns about the environmental damage and fire risks discarded vapes can pose.

Single-use vapes were banned last year but millions of both single-use and rechargeable vapes are still thrown away each week rather than being recycled.

Wright wants the council to urge the government to also put pressure upon manufacturers to fund safe disposal and recycling.

Locally, he has called for fires linked to waste collection and processing to be reviewed, expanding advertising for vape and battery recycling points and running a public awareness campaign.

Wright added: "I think most people don't realise how dangerous it is to throw a lithium battery in a bin.

"We need a system that makes thing right in the long term but raising awareness is definitely something councils should be doing in the short term."

Group manager Rob Curtis, protection lead for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We support anything that leads to the safe disposal of vapes and other items that contain lithium-ion batteries."

The motion will be debated on Tuesday.

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