West Sussex warns residents not to bin vapes as fire campaign begins

West Sussex County Council has launched a new Stop the Spark campaign urging residents to keep vapes, batteries and small electrical items out of household rubbish and recycling bins.

The council announced the campaign on 22 September, working with Biffa, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and Wastebuster. Its practical message is that anything with a plug, cable or battery should be taken to an appropriate collection point rather than put in a domestic bin.

For adult vapers, the key point is simple but often missed: a vape is an electrical item with a battery, not ordinary plastic waste. The council says batteries, vapes and small electricals can overheat or ignite if crushed, punctured or damaged during collection, transport or processing.

Why vapes are part of the warning

West Sussex said that so far in 2026 there had been 40 fires linked to batteries and electrical items at its materials recycling facility in Ford, in waste collection vehicles and at recycling centres. It also reported 199 fires caused by batteries, vapes and small electrical items at the Horsham Anaerobic Digestion and Resource Recovery Facility between June 2024 and May 2025.

The figures cover a wider battery and electrical-waste problem, not vapes alone. Even so, vapes are prominent because they contain lithium batteries and are small enough to be put in a pocket, handbag or bin without much thought.

Official UK guidance already treats vapes as waste electrical and electronic equipment. GOV.UK says businesses that sell vapes must offer take-back for vapes and vape parts, and warns that unsafe storage or improper disposal is a fire risk. London Fire Brigade similarly advises that vapes and e-cigarettes should not go into regular rubbish or recycling bins because the battery may be damaged and start a fire.

What readers should take from it

Adults using refillable or rechargeable devices should plan disposal before a device or pod system fails. The safer route is usually a vape retailer take-back point, a dedicated battery or small electricals collection point, or a council recycling centre with suitable bins.

The campaign is also a reminder that moving away from single-use products does not remove the disposal issue. Reusable devices still contain batteries, pods and coils that need careful handling at the end of life.