Waste Sector Welcomes Vape Controls but Continues Push for Deposit Scheme

Councils are to be given greater powers to control the opening of vape shops, with new shops selling e-cigarettes and vapes in England requiring planning permission before opening.

The definition of vape shops will also be tightened to prevent businesses from avoiding the rules.

Dr Adam Read, Chief External Affairs and Sustainability Officer at RECOUP member, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, welcomed the proposals as they create a serious and growing fire risk for waste workers and infrastructure.

Gareth Rollings, Chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) and RECOUP board member, said greater control over the growth of vape shops could have positive knock-on effects for waste and recycling services.

There has been calls for a deposit return scheme for vapes, but this does need thinking through to avoid unintended consequences including the environmental and financial costs of ‘bin diving’ to retrieve discarded vapes.

More information can be found in the Lets Recycle article here.