Lucy Caulkett-
A leading waste‑management company has sounded the alarm over a surge in fires triggered by discarded vapes and e‑cigarettes, warning that more than one blaze per day is occurring across its UK operations. The firm which collects and processes household and commercial rubbish for dozens of local authorities says that improperly discarded vapes, many containing lithium-ion batteries, have led to hundreds of incidents this year alone.
Fires ignited inside waste trucks and recycling facilities have endangered workers, disrupted collections, and inflicted significant damage to equipment and infrastructure.
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According to the company, there have been 339 fires recorded in its network over recent months an average of one fire every 24 hours. Staff described scenes in which bin‑lorries have combusted, sometimes mid‑route, forcing crews to dump waste on roadsides before extinguishing the flames.
Lithium‑ion batteries widely used in disposable vapes, rechargeable e‑cigarettes, and other small electronic devices are highly prone to igniting when crushed, compacted, or damaged during typical waste‑handling operations.
Industry experts and fire‑safety organisations have raised grave concerns about the risks vapes pose to waste‑collection workers and the public. They warn that even devices thrown into everyday rubbish or mixed recycling pose a serious fire hazard if not disposed of responsibly. Many of the fires are easily preventable through proper recycling of electrical items and batteries.
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Rising Threat from “Zombie Batteries”
Waste‑management company data shows that nearly 7,000 vapes per day equivalent to roughly 300 an hour are entering its recycling and waste centres. These devices, dubbed “zombie batteries,” contain lithium‑ion cells which can “come back to life” under pressure, heat, or impact, sparking powerful fires when crushed or compacted during collection.
Between June and September of 2025 the firm recovered more than 840,000 discarded vapes across four of its major sites including Teesside, North London, Ipswich and Walsall. During the same period, its facilities recorded over 180 fires attributed to battery‑powered waste items. The scale of the problem has accelerated since a nationwide ban on disposable vapes came into force last summer.
“Our crews are facing a daily risk,” said a spokesperson for the waste company. “These are not rare accidents, this is a systemic hazard. Every time a contaminated bin enters a refuse‑collection vehicle or is tipped at a material‑recovery facility (MRF), the risk of a fire is very real.”
Mechanical compaction, which crushes waste to make room for more, often punctures batteries and allows them to enter a dangerous state known as thermal runaway causing temperatures to rapidly soar and igniting flammable material around them.
Fire‑safety authorities note that battery‑related fires are among the fastest growing threats faced by waste‑collection crews. Fires triggered by smartphones, e‑bikes and other lithium‑powered devices are also rising, but vapes are singled out because of their explosive increase in use, their disposable nature, and the low awareness among users that disposal must be handled carefully.
What Needs to Change
Although single‑use vapes were banned this summer under new regulations aimed at curbing youth use and reducing plastic waste, the number discarded incorrectly has soared. Many people continue to treat rechargeable or once‑used vapes like disposable items, simply placing them in general household bins or recycling with everyday waste.
Without recognising the risk posed by their lithium‑ion batteries, users are inadvertently setting the stage for fires.
The geography of the problem extends beyond waste vehicles and processing sites. Local authorities, insurers, fire services and waste‑management firms are urging the public to use dedicated battery and small electronic recycling points often available at supermarkets, community recycling centres or special collection events rather than general waste bins.
In regions where such services have been expanded, incidents have decreased.
One major UK council recently launched a partnership with its local fire service and waste contractor to educate residents about proper disposal, warning that a single misplaced vape can endanger lives and livelihoods. The message is clear: temperatures inside compacting waste can exceed 800 °C enough to ignite waste, destroy equipment, and generate toxic fumes while putting recycling staff at serious risk.
There is also concern that ongoing policy efforts and bans may not be enough without widespread public awareness and infrastructure to support safe disposal. Campaigners call for mandatory vape‑battery recycling schemes, clearer labelling and education, and increased capacity at community recycling centres to accept electronic waste.
Some insurers have already flagged that failures to dispose of batteries responsibly could invalidate insurance claims in case of fire.
The warning from the waste‑management firm speaks to a growing crisis at the intersection of consumer habits, recycling systems and fire safety. What began as a public‑health measure the ban on disposable vapes has revealed a deeper challenge: millions of lithium‑ion batteries being discarded without care, funnelled into general waste streams ill‑equipped to deal with their volatility.
Fires triggered by damaged batteries now occur every day, disrupting services, endangering workers and costing millions of pounds in damage.
Unless disposal habits change and infrastructure evolves to handle hazardous battery waste properly the problem is unlikely to abate. The coming weeks and months will test whether public authorities, waste firms and individuals can respond to what has become a preventable but persistent fire threat.
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