Hampshire County Council is calling for a nationwide ban on single-use vapes.

With vaping on the rise, it is estimated that 1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away every week, making it the fastest-growing type of waste.

Councillor Nick Adams-King, the county council's executive lead member for universal services, has concerns over the increasing amount of plastic litter caused by discarded vapes.

He is also concerned about serious health concerns associated with underage vaping.

It comes after discarded vapes caused a bin lorry fire in Bursledon.

In response to these issues, Hampshire County Council is joining other local authorities across the UK in calling for a ban on single-use vapes.

The authority is also now allowing people to recycle vapes at any Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Councillor Nick Adams-King, the County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Universal Services said: “Discarded vapes are an increasingly common eyesore in our villages, towns and cities, which creates tonnes of additional plastic litter.

"This is just one reason, alongside serious health concerns over underage vaping, why the County Council is joining local authorities across the UK to call for a ban on single use vapes.

“To help tackle the environmental impact of vapes, all our Household Waste Recycling Centres can now accept reusable, refillable and disposable vapes for recycling.

"Most large supermarkets and some shops also have special bins where batteries, including single-use vapes, can be disposed of safely.

"Anything containing batteries, including vapes, should never be placed in your waste or recycling bin at home, as they are inflammable and can spontaneously combust.

"Rogue batteries are the single biggest cause of fire in refuse trucks and waste sites, which poses an avoidable risk to staff and unnecessary cost burden on taxpayer-funded services.

"It can also mean a truckload of valuable recyclable material that were carefully sorted by residents going up in smoke.”

Single-use vapes contain lithium-ion batteries which can catch fire if broken.

Hampshire County Council estimates that a fire per month in a waste truck or facility can be attributed to a battery, faulty electrical item, or disposable barbecue.

In 2021, a significant fire at the Portsmouth Materials Recovery Facility was suspected to have been caused by a battery, resulting in the closure of the site for three months.