UK experts issued an “urgent warning” about a “zombie” threat, according to The Independent, but not of the George Romero variety.
What is happening?
On October 31, the outlet reported that Biffa, the UK’s largest waste management company, warned of an alarming and dangerous trend.
Despite the recent nationwide ban on disposable vaporizers, the company estimates that 7,000 devices per day (or 300 per hour) arrive at its processing facilities.
Additionally, Biffa noted that the number of disposable vaporizers being discarded in the trash has increased since the ban went into effect, posing a significant danger.
Disposable vaporizers are designed to be used, thrown away, and replaced, which is bad for the environment because they are a single-use form of plastic. Unfortunately, that’s not even the biggest risk they present.
As the outlet explained, disposable vaporizers are causing immense headaches for waste management companies around the world, due to their propensity to “explode” and cause fires.
On July 8, a UK council shared footage of one such incident on Facebook.
The fire at the clip was massive and engulfed a large pile of trash. Biffa said the cause was a single vaping device, after it was “improperly disposed of in a blue recycling bin.”
The person who threw it away may have believed they were doing something environmentally responsible by putting it in a recycling bin, but a major problem with disposable vaporizers is how difficult it is to dispose of them safely.
Why is this important?
In its headline, The Independent described why disposable vapes cause fires: “exploding zombie batteries.”
A main reason these devices are “disposable” is that, unlike other vaping devices, they are equipped with lithium-ion batteries and e-liquid, making them “plug and play” for users.
That convenience comes at a cost. Fires caused by vape batteries are not a UK-specific phenomenon: the compaction feature common on most garbage trucks often causes zombie battery explosions, putting healthcare workers at risk.
In the United States, disposable vaporizers are also used and disposed of inappropriately. Authorities in several states have issued warnings after fires in homes, garbage trucks and, alarmingly, while waste collection vehicles are driving on public roads.
During the month of July alone, 56 vaping-related fires broke out in trucks or waste processing facilities in the U.S. and Canada.
Disposable vaporizers are an environmental catastrophe, but also a risk to the health of young people. Research has shown that nicotine exposure can impede cognitive development in children and adolescents.
What is being done about it?
Electrical Safety First product safety expert Giuseppe Capanna urged vapers to dispose of vaporizers safely.
“Every household can help turn the tide on this problem, one action at a time. We urge all households to stop, think and not throw the battery in the trash,” Capanna said.
Disposable vaporizers and other items with built-in batteries should be disposed of only at dedicated e-waste facilities.
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