🌱 Why do vapes cause fires?
Vapes and e-cigarettes contain lithium-ion batteries. As the vapes are often disposed of incorrectly, they cause fires in garbage cans, garbage trucks, and at disposal facilities. Lithium-ion batteries can easily ignite when they are damaged. There is always a risk of this happening when using large machines to sort and process waste, as is the case in most larger waste disposal or recycling facilities. The fires caused by burning lithium-ion batteries reach temperatures of up to 1200°C, which is as hot as the flame of a welding torch. The fires usually spread very quickly, as explosions tend to also occur.
🌱 How many battery fires are there in Germany?
According to the Federal Association of the German Waste Management Industry, around 30 fires break out daily in recycling plants and garbage trucks across Germany as the result of lithium-ion batteries that are unproperly disposed of in household waste. Firefighters have to be called to the site for half of these fires.
🌱 How much damage is caused?
The “lax handling” of lithium-ion batteries by consumers creates large costs for waste disposal and recycling companies. A year ago, a fire at a plant in Oberderdingen in the Karlsruhe district caused millions in damage. Similarly, two fires at a waste disposal company in Waiblingen in the Stuttgart region destroyed a warehouse, which cost EUR 2.5 million to reconstruct. As a result of the high costs, many insurers are reluctant to provide insurance for fires to waste disposal and recycling companies. Moreover, updating the fire protection technology at facilities is expensive, which ultimately also impacts waste disposal fees.
🌱 Who is calling for a vape ban?
The state governments of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg have demanded that consumers be informed better about the correct disposal of batteries for a longer time. Now, they are also calling for a nationwide ban on disposable vapes due to the fire risks. In line with this, they have submitted a formal request to the German federal government to ban disposable vapes in Germany. As a part of their request, they have also asked the German federal government to look into introducing a deposit requirement for batteries containing lithium.
🌱 How should lithium-ion batteries be stored and disposed?
Lithium-ion batteries should be checked regularly for damage. They should not be stored in too hot or cold temperatures or next to flammable materials. When lithium-ion batteries – or devices containing lithium-ion batteries – are disposed of, they should not be placed in the normal household waste but brought to recycling centers or returned to stores that sell the corresponding batteries or devices. As a general rule, following the manufacturer's instructions is a good idea.
Read more about the battery fires and vape ban here:
- https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/e-zigarette-brandgefahr-im-muell-100.html
- https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/abfall-brandgefahr-durch-lithiumprodukte-100.html