A binman’s blunt recycling warning: Keep vapes and batteries out of your green bin

A bin rule many ignore

Ashley, who regularly posts videos from his waste collection rounds on TikTok, recently filmed himself refusing to empty a wheelie bin after spotting prohibited items inside.

In the clip, he called out the "Karens" who continue to dispose of vapes and batteries in their bins, writing: “When Karen has put vapes and batteries in her bin.”

While it may seem like a minor mistake, Ashley explained that the consequences can be far more serious than simply missing a bin collection.

Organisations including Recycle Your Electricals have warned that discarded batteries and vapes are a growing fire risk, with more than 1,200 fires linked to electrical items thrown into bins across the UK last year.

The warning serves as a reminder that these items should always be recycled through the correct collection points rather than placed in household waste.

Why vapes and batteries are a recycling fire hazard

“When electricals containing hidden batteries like vapes are binned, they can get crushed or damaged and spark dangerous fires in bin lorries and recycling centres,” Recycle Your Electricals warns.

The lithium batteries tucked inside disposable vapes are volatile when punctured, and the crushing forces inside a collection lorry are more than enough to set one off.

That turns a routine round into a potential blaze, endangering crews like Ashley and the vehicles they depend on. It also explains the U-turn: a bin flagged as containing the wrong items simply will not be emptied, leaving the household to sort it out themselves.

For the record, the items that can safely go in a typical green bin include dry paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, tubs, pots, drink cans, empty aerosols, and glass bottles and jars. Anything with a battery or a plug does not make the list.

Where your vapes and batteries should actually go

So what should you do instead? For loose batteries, the government advises taking them to a local supermarket or any large shop nearby that sells more than 32kg of batteries a year.

“There should be a collection point at the premises for ‘portable’ batteries,” its guidance states, covering AAA, AA and 9V batteries, battery packs and button batteries. Many UK households already walk past these points on the weekly shop without noticing them.

Vapes follow much the same rule: because they contain those hidden batteries, they should be handed in at dedicated electrical drop-off points rather than tossed in with the paper and plastic. It is a small extra step, but one that keeps the batteries well away from the crushing mechanism that makes them so dangerous in the first place.

Ashley’s blunt message, as he told the Mirror, is really a plea for a bit of care at the kerbside. Getting your recycling right is not just about hitting environmental targets; it is about keeping the people who collect it safe. So the next time a vape or a stray battery is heading for the green bin, it is worth picturing the binman’s U-turn — and the 1,200 fires that make it necessary.