Plea for islanders to dispose of vapes safely following fires at Guernsey waste plant

More than 1,000 vapes have been collected so far since a drop off zone was installed at the Longue Hogue Household Waste and Recycling centre in 2022. Credit: PA

People in Guernsey should avoid throwing away vapes into general waste, says the island's waste operations manager.

Vapes contain lithium batteries, which can catch fire if not disposed of correctly.

Islanders are being asked to put their vapes in the drop off facility at the Longue Hogue Household Waste and Recycling centre to reduce accidental fires and environmental pollution.

Sarah Robinson, Guernsey Waste's operations manager said: “The vapes that we receive are hand sorted and dismantled by a local company to remove the batteries and other recyclable materials. All components then go off to be recycled or safely disposed of.”

Of the six fires at the Longue Hougue Waste Transfer Station last year, five are believed to have been caused by batteries thrown into general waste.

More than 1,000 vapes have been collected so far since the drop off zone was installed in 2022.

Commercial businesses are not, however, able to use the drop off site.

Miss Robinson added: "We would actively encourage any commercial businesses and shops to set up a take back scheme, if they don’t already have one, and get their own private arrangements in place."

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