Council leaders have called for a crackdown on disposable vapes after research showed they are increasingly causing fires in bin lorries and recycling centres.
The Local Government Association says single-use vapes, designed as one unit so that their batteries cannot be separated from the plastic, are 'almost impossible' to recycle.
The association says the lithium batteries can sharply increase in temperature and catch fire if crushed, costing taxpayers money through damage to equipment and specialist treatment to deal with hazardous waste.
Last year research showed about 1.3m single-use vapes were thrown away each week in the UK and caused more than 700 fires in bin lorries and recycling centres.
Recycling firms say they are dealing with so many vapes that they are struggling to insure their facilities.
The warning comes after children’s doctors called for a ban on disposable vapes to reduce their popularity among young people as their long-term impact remains unknown.
LGA environment spokesperson Linda Taylor said: 'Single-use vapes, just like any other item of hazardous waste, need to be properly classified and producers must take responsibility for the litter they create.
'The volume of these items that council waste teams are handling is increasing, and this is coming at a great cost to the council taxpayer.
'We need a crackdown on the producers and retailers of these products, and to get this litter under control.'
