Efforts are being stepped up to ensure vapers discard of their e-cigs correctly.
Northumberland County Council, a UK trailblazer in offering recycling bins for vape tubes at its Household Waste Recovery Centre's (HWRCs), will intensify its public awareness campaign.
Northumberland's bin lorries will now carry strategically placed banners to relay the message of vape disposal safety to the wider public, while they carry out their routes.
Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for Looking After Our Environment, said: "With the number of people in the UK who vape increasing, it is important that we take the steps to recycle vape tubes responsibly.
"When vape tubes aren’t properly disposed of responsibly, there is a chance they could cause a fire.
"These fires risk the lives of depot workers, refuse collectors and firefighters and can also cause millions of pounds worth of damage."
Vape tubes contain lithium batteries, which can potentially induce explosions if improperly disposed of due to puncture from waste compaction equipment in vehicles and depots.
Such incidents could disrupt collection routes and risk lives.
Besides the vape tube recycling bins, vapers can return their tubes to the retailers they bought them from, who will responsibly recycle them.
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