Campaigner collects 'thousands' of discarded vapes

Down an alleyway in York, Miki Storey crouches next to a drain and fishes out 13 discarded disposable vapes.

"The vapes out of that one were two weeks' worth, I've already emptied that drain before," he says.

Miki believes he has picked up thousands of vapes which have been carelessly tossed away on the city's streets.

Frustrated with the litter problem, he started a campaign to remind shops of their responsibility to provide recycling bins for the devices.

"When I first started, it was horrendous because people were dropping the vapes down drains like they were cigarettes," Miki says.

"The difference between vapes and other waste products is that they're not as visible.

"Cars run over them so they squash the batteries and then all of that toxic material goes into our environment and water sources."

Charity Keep Britain Tidy estimates 260 million vapes are thrown away in the UK every year, wasting resources such as lithium.

It is dangerous to discard them in a general waste bin, as their batteries can cause fires when crushed in bin lorries or recycling centres.

Under Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, vendors of vapes must offer a service for customers to return vapes for recycling.

However, Miki finds outlets rarely supply the correct bins.

"It's a hassle for them, they don't want to do it," he says.

"They're going to have to pay for the recycling. They've also got to do it through a reputable company."

The campaigner says he visited more than 40 shops over the weekend to speak to staff about the recycling regulations.

"At first they just look at you as though you're a little bit crazy," he says.

"Then you start explaining what they need to do and that they've had enough time to do it, then you get different reactions.

"Some of them say 'yeah, okay, okay', other ones have been quite aggressive in their response.

"They certainly don't feel as though I'm doing them a favour."

Miki is not the only York resident dismayed by the vape litter.

Tracy Ostle, founder of the Foss Fairy Trail, also finds herself collecting boxes full of vapes for recycling.

"I find them in the bushes, thrown in the streets, they're just everywhere, absolutely everywhere," she says.

"I must have picked up hundreds."

However, Tracy struggles to find a place to recycle the vapes without walking miles, so relies on Miki for help.

"As an individual, I can try to encourage people to recycle them in the proper way but I have to take these vapes that I collect to the local tip and recycle them there," Miki adds.

"We've now got a society where it seems as though it's okay for a lot of people just to throw things away.

"There's other people who spend their own time picking all this stuff up. Why should people have to do that?"

The campaigner explains the ongoing situation has left him "angry, sad and upset".

"It's just really upsetting, we've got this self-made catastrophe that's happening," he says.

"I want a better future for young people.

"It's their future we're playing with and we're just not taking responsibility for it."

Miki is continuing his fight for shops to display vape recycling bins and is encouraging a crackdown on those flouting the rules.

According to the Office for Product Safety and Standards, those not compliant can be prosecuted and receive an unlimited fine.

John Dunne, UK Vaping Industry Association director general, has called for vape recycling points to be installed across town and city centres so that people can easily dispose of their devices.

"We have vape recycling companies amongst our members and they work hard to ensure that everyone, from retailers, consumers to local authorities, play their part to make recycling as easy as possible for the end user," he said.

"While in-store recycling is part of the solution, we also need a nationwide network of recycling points where vapes are used such as urban centres, public spaces and retail, leisure and work spaces."

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