Single-use vapes sparking surge in fires at UK waste plants

The 1.3m disposable e-cigarettes discarded every week often end up in general waste and their broken batteries are highly flammable

Disposable vapes are behind a dramatic rise in fires at recycling plants over the last year, raising the risk of a major blaze releasing toxic fumes and polluting air, industry experts warn.

Recycling firms are now dealing with so many vapes that they are struggling to insure their facilities. Some are now using artificial intelligence to detect vapes and their lithium-ion batteries, as well as installing thermal imaging cameras and automatic foam jets.