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craigroberts76  
#1 Posted : 14 August 2023 08:31:12(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

I'm looking to see what organisations are doing to tackle the increase in disposable e-cigs and the risks to the environment and potential fires. We're running a campaign this week and would be interested in how others are collecting or disposing of them safely.

A Kurdziel  
#2 Posted : 14 August 2023 08:34:51(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

treat them like cigarettes: Indoor ban and only permitted in outdoor designated smoking areas.

craigroberts76  
#3 Posted : 14 August 2023 08:57:50(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

Its not that, they currently pose an environmental risk due to the batteries and chemicals they contain, and they have been the initiator in many bin lorry fires, so we're looking at a campaign and a location at our hubs where people can dispose of them safely and then they are disposed of correctly. 

Jonny95  
#4 Posted : 14 August 2023 09:52:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Jonny95

I’ve seen designated vape bins around some sites / smoking area’s, this was due to a vape ending up in a bin that made its way to a compactor resulting in a fire. I’m sure a reputable waste company could deal with the bins in the correct manner when full.

firesafety101  
#5 Posted : 14 August 2023 09:54:21(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

Designated ventilated smoking area well away from entrances/exits, lockable metal waste bin at that area and emptied when nearly full into a metal container, when this is full have it removed as hazardous waste by competent contractor.

Post signs and notices around those areas and inform all employees of your procedure.

If you have company medical team you could get them to initiate a campaign about harmful effects from vaping and safe disposal.  If no medical team you can do this yourself but get Management onside first.  Get this issue onto the regular H&S meetings and if unionised get them on board as well.

chris42  
#6 Posted : 14 August 2023 10:04:29(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

Interesting topic for discussion, so lets throw a spanner in and see what happens.

Why are peoples personal waste become a problem for the employer. Why not simply tell them not to dispose of personal items at work. Would you let them bring their fridge in from home?

Time to run for cover and put all possible PPE on.

Chris

thanks 1 user thanked chris42 for this useful post.
A Kurdziel on 14/08/2023(UTC)
A Kurdziel  
#7 Posted : 14 August 2023 10:36:30(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Personally I would just ban it, full stop.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! 

craigroberts76  
#8 Posted : 14 August 2023 11:03:51(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
craigroberts76

Originally Posted by: chris42 Go to Quoted Post

Interesting topic for discussion, so lets throw a spanner in and see what happens.

Why are peoples personal waste become a problem for the employer. Why not simply tell them not to dispose of personal items at work. Would you let them bring their fridge in from home?

Time to run for cover and put all possible PPE on.

Chris

We are seeing more and more vapes being disposed of in general waste which is a hazard, however as an environmentally friendly organisation we want to do the right thing and give people the knowledge around the risks and also a way to dispose of them safely. Just like confidential waste paper shredding, if we provide a way to do it then it reduces the risk to the organisation and the employee, which makes for a better workforce and place of work.

thanks 1 user thanked craigroberts76 for this useful post.
peter gotch on 14/08/2023(UTC)
A Kurdziel  
#9 Posted : 14 August 2023 11:34:07(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

When it comes to environmental concerns the basic issue is that the vapes are on the whole seen as a cheap disposal  product. They are contracted from multiple types of plastic and metals and always contain a battery.  To be recycled they need to be  dismantled  and the individual components recycled but that is not going to happen as the cost out ways the value of anything recovered. So they get dumped.

If we just banned them it would be much easier…

If we banned most things it would much easier …

If we banned most thing we would be out a job!

thanks 2 users thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
peter gotch on 14/08/2023(UTC), DH1962 on 16/08/2023(UTC)
chris42  
#10 Posted : 14 August 2023 13:21:41(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

Fair enough if the company wants to do it, I just don’t see why the waste from peoples bad habit should cost the company, time, trouble and money to dispose of.

Technically I would have thought that if the company will be allowing people to dispose of personal WEEE waste at their site, then they would need a licence, wouldn’t they? They are after all becoming a waste station. I think I would seek advice on this from the relevant authority.

The best result for the environment would be not to create the waste in the first place of course.

Good intentions on behalf of your company though.

Chris

thanks 1 user thanked chris42 for this useful post.
A Kurdziel on 14/08/2023(UTC)
Roundtuit  
#11 Posted : 14 August 2023 14:11:23(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

If companies weren't so busy falling over themselves to pursue the green agenda through deed instead of empty words these questions would not be appearing.

Natural evolution will eventually see companies controlling what they can on their premises by adopting "take your own rubbish home schemes" to support the policy of being zero waste to land fill.

Roundtuit  
#12 Posted : 14 August 2023 14:11:23(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

If companies weren't so busy falling over themselves to pursue the green agenda through deed instead of empty words these questions would not be appearing.

Natural evolution will eventually see companies controlling what they can on their premises by adopting "take your own rubbish home schemes" to support the policy of being zero waste to land fill.

A Kurdziel  
#13 Posted : 15 August 2023 09:01:44(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

"take your own rubbish home schemes" are of course illegal, commercial waste must not be mixed with domestic waste even if it is essentially the same sort of stuff.

chris42  
#14 Posted : 15 August 2023 09:19:26(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris42

But is the packaging your sandwiches come in, that you eat at lunch time commercial waste? Companies deal with it but is it actually commercial waste?

thanks 1 user thanked chris42 for this useful post.
Roundtuit on 15/08/2023(UTC)
M.cooper.99  
#15 Posted : 15 August 2023 10:00:59(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
M.cooper.99

From a recyclers point of view, disposable e-cigs are starting to become an issue for my employer. We only recycle glass, but contaminants will make their way into our system from poorly sorted MRF (Material recycling facility) waste or from people throwing their vapes into skips or bottle banks on our supplier sites. These are removed from the waste by magnets and eddy current systems quite easily and then dropped into isolated concrete bays where the risk of fire damage is fairly low. Combine that with sprinklers, spark detectors, regular inspection, well placed fire extinguishers and water hoses means that fires from them don't tend to get further than smouldering. We have been dealing with batteries for many years so the controls were already in place. From there, it is sent off to a recycling partner that specialises in metals and electronics. We use GreCon for our fire detection and their systems have been great. 

The problem is that we are seeing an increasing amount and it does cost us to send them on for further recycling or if a fire extinguisher is used. Theres also the residual risk that one could potentially make it past the sorting systems, but we haven't had this happen yet.

thanks 1 user thanked M.cooper.99 for this useful post.
peter gotch on 15/08/2023(UTC)
Roundtuit  
#16 Posted : 15 August 2023 11:31:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Originally Posted by: chris42 Go to Quoted Post
is the packaging your sandwiches come in... commercial waste?

When they are provided by the employer as reward or enticement definately.

thanks 4 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
chris42 on 15/08/2023(UTC), A Kurdziel on 22/08/2023(UTC), chris42 on 15/08/2023(UTC), A Kurdziel on 22/08/2023(UTC)
Roundtuit  
#17 Posted : 15 August 2023 11:31:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Originally Posted by: chris42 Go to Quoted Post
is the packaging your sandwiches come in... commercial waste?

When they are provided by the employer as reward or enticement definately.

thanks 4 users thanked Roundtuit for this useful post.
chris42 on 15/08/2023(UTC), A Kurdziel on 22/08/2023(UTC), chris42 on 15/08/2023(UTC), A Kurdziel on 22/08/2023(UTC)
Ellisfranecki  
#18 Posted : 16 August 2023 11:26:13(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Ellisfranecki

Originally Posted by: craigroberts76 Go to Quoted Post

I'm looking to see what organisations are doing to tackle the increase in disposable e-cigs and the risks to the environment and potential fires. We're running a campaign this week and would be interested in how others are collecting or disposing of them safely.

Handle them akin to cigarettes: Prohibit their use indoors and allow only in designated outdoor smoking areas.

RVThompson  
#19 Posted : 16 August 2023 12:04:57(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RVThompson

Reported.

Unusually late in the day for hidden link posters, but perhaps this one has been sampling their own product?

thanks 3 users thanked RVThompson for this useful post.
chris42 on 16/08/2023(UTC), Roundtuit on 16/08/2023(UTC), peter gotch on 16/08/2023(UTC)
andrewjb1  
#20 Posted : 21 August 2023 10:52:14(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
andrewjb1

Hi

Just a couple of points; firstly those vaping should be in a separate area from the designated smoking area, the theory for vape use is that its to encourage smokers to give up smoking and an employer you shouldnt be encouraging employees that vape to stand with the smokers.   Our policy is that vapers can smoke anywhere outside away from open doors and windows, we are looking at separate facilities for smoking and vaping.

With regards to disposal, most waste carriers now provide bins for the disposable vapes.  Personally i wouldnt have the bins inside the property though due to the increase risk of fire. 

firesafety101  
#21 Posted : 22 August 2023 10:15:23(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

As for risks to the environment a few dozen discarded Vapes won't make any difference whether all together in one bin or scatterered throughout the world because the environment is a very big place.  I once dealt with complaints from members of the public about buses starting up every morning at the same time and spewing out their diesel fumes in the garage yard.  HSE's answere was same as I just wrote above.

A Kurdziel  
#22 Posted : 22 August 2023 12:54:03(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Just looking back at Chris42’s comment; one of the infuriating things about the waste regs is that where the waste comes from is more important than the hazardous nature of the waste itself.  If it comes from your home and it is not builder’s waste it’s domestic waste. If it comes from a business, it’s commercial waste. So if I have a 40% solution of ethanol in a lab  it’s lab waste if I have it in a bar than it’s vodka and classed as food waste! Not everything makes sense…

Kate  
#23 Posted : 22 August 2023 14:47:12(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kate

Don't waste the vodka!

DAG2  
#24 Posted : 29 August 2023 12:06:35(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
DAG2

Look for the ‘Take Charge’ campaign, which helps to stop catastrophic fires caused by discarded batteries that overheat and cause fires. 

Also, here is a video of a waste facility in Aberdeen that caught fire, suspected to be from a discarded battery from an item like a vape. 

If you privately drop me your email then I will send you a toolbox talk with the whole presentation of the above. 

DAG2  
#25 Posted : 29 August 2023 12:10:13(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
DAG2

Apologies, here is the YouTube link - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l94tWf3XZE

thanks 1 user thanked DAG2 for this useful post.
A Kurdziel on 30/08/2023(UTC)
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