Campaigners demand end to vape litter in Northumberland and Tyneside countryside

Campaigners are calling for urgent action to tackle the growing problem of discarded e-cigarettes across Northumberland and Tyneside and asking local MPs for help.

Jane Hodson-Hamilton from Ponteland and Rachel Locke from Hazlerigg, who help organise regular litter picks, are stunned to see the volume of discarded vapes and together, they have been pushing for the problem to be tackled.

Jane said: “I‘ve noticed a marked increase in vapes over recent months in all areas that I walk. 

“I am doubtful an outright ban of disposal vapes is realistic but if users were encouraged to dispose of them in a considerate and environmentally friendly manner, that would be a start to reducing the number of vapes finding their way into the countryside.”

As well as issues with pollution and potential fire hazards in hot weather, the RSPCA has found that carelessly discarded single-use vapes can be mistaken for food by wildlife.

Vapes contain a mix of materials and poisonous substances including plastic, lithium, and nicotine, all of which can be hazardous to animals when discarded as litter or not disposed of properly.

Jane contacted her local MP, Hexham’s Guy Opperman who shared her concern and said: “I understand around 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in the UK. 

“A significant amount of the disposable vapes are not recycled properly and are instead littered or discarded with residual waste.”

The Conservative MP added: “Officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have held discussions to help businesses understand their obligations and bring them into compliance.

“Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of litter and refuse, and the role of central Government is to enable and support that work.”

But Jane said: “We have seen this problem getting worse with each passing year and whatever actions might have been taken so far to combat it have failed.

“So we are pushing for support to add weight to our campaign to raise awareness of the damage being done to our countryside as a result of the inappropriate disposal of vapes.

“In Ponteland, we’ve started to highlight the problem and were delighted to have Paul, the manager of the One Stop shop offering a handy recycling take-back point for vapes without needing to produce a receipt for purchase or the requirement to buy a new product.”

Over in Hazlerigg, Rachel Locke, has been calling on the MP for Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell.

The Labour MP responded: “I appreciate the growing trend in the use of disposable vapes raises alarming environmental implications.

“As well as their obvious contribution to plastic pollution, these vapes also contain lithium and I know this is especially concerning for environmental activists, given the mining of lithium has contributed to water and biodiversity loss, and the pollution of rivers.

“I am aware campaigners are calling for a range of actions to tackling this problem, from improving the recycling of vapes to banning them completely and I will write to the Government and the City Council to share your concerns.”

Rachel said: “As if carelessly discarded cigarette butts weren’t bad enough, we are now seeing these monstrous items, with their non-refillable cartridges, non-rechargeable lithium batteries, plastic and metal.

“It’s the worst of all worlds. 

“The plastic poses a choking hazard to wildlife and harmful chemicals contaminate the environment, posing a fire hazard and eventually leaching into waterways.

“This is woefully irresponsible on so many levels, from the manufacturers making them, through to the retailers selling them and the individuals who think it’s acceptable to carelessly dispose of items like this.”

The issue is very much on the radar of Northumberland County Council according to Dr Wendy Fail, its senior waste management officer.

She said: “Northumberland County Council is acutely aware of not just the litter blight caused by e-cigarettes and vape products, but also the fire risks posed by discarded units.  

“As these items cannot and should not be placed into household or public bins due to the huge risks they pose, NCC will shortly be rolling out vape collection containers at all 12 of its household waste recovery centres.  

“While we understand that not everyone will take the time to dispose of their vapes responsibly at the sites, we do hope that placement of these containers will serve to educate and slowly lead to behaviour change for a proportion of Northumberland’s residents who use e-cigarettes/vapes.”

Meanwhile, Jane and Rachel, who are both committee members of the Northumberland branch of CPRE, the Countryside Charity, have pledged to continue their campaign for action and also support others pushing for change.

Rachel said: “The Green Alliance of charities and organisations has written an open letter demanding the Government ban the sale of single-use e-cigarettes to stem their “rapidly escalating threat” to public health and the environment and we would support that.”

The chair of CPRE Northumberland, Ian Brown, said: “Jane and Rachel have done great work not only in helping clear up vapes and other litter locally but in highlighting this growing problem and attracting a response from their local MPs.

“It’s clear this is a serious issue which may be in danger of going under the radar and CPRE in Northumberland and across Tyneside will continue to highlight the issue and press for action until meaningful ways are found to solve the problem.”