The County Council has become among the first local authorities in the country to offer vape tube recycling bins at its Household Waste Recovery Centres.
The devices contain lithium batteries which can be highly flammable and should never be disposed of in general waste.
The vape tube bins, now in place at all the council’s household waste facilities, will help tackle the growing environmental issues the devices cause.
In the UK, people buy half a billion vapes a year and bin a massive 3 million of them every week. They are quickly becoming part of the fastest growing waste stream in the country, with over 155,000 tonnes of the electrical waste being binned a year – enough to cover 22 football pitches.
Councillor John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Local Services, said: “While vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking, disposing of the vapes should always be done correctly.
“No batteries should ever be put in general waste, they must be disposed of in a proper battery bin.
The council also has dedicated battery bins at every HWRC, and proper disposal bins are available at numerous retailers and other locations across the county.