The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) has welcomed the recommendation of the Queensland Parliamentary Committee report in the proposed vaping legislation and urges the State Government to immediately address the current disposal gap.
The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Vaping) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 Parliamentary Committee report encourages the Queensland Government to progress work to support vaping device waste disposal, noting there is no safe disposal method currently available for vapes.
“As highlighted in the report, the existing B-cycle battery recycling scheme only accepts separated loose batteries for collection and processing, which means items with embedded batteries like vapes- as well as toys, portable speakers and other electronic items – are not covered and have no safe collection or disposal pathway,” WMRR Chief Executive Officer Gayle Sloan said.
“Faced without a proper collection pathway, consumers often dispose of vapes in the bin, where they pose a huge fire risk for our workers, trucks and facilities especially when crushed.
“The waste and resource recovery industry has long highlighted this gap in the collection system and the subsequent fire risk this creates as far too many vapes and embedded battery items are being disposed of unsafely in existing systems that were not built to manage them. Our essential industry is dealing with battery fires on a daily basis.
“We call on the Queensland Government to urgently establish collection points for vapes and other items with embedded batteries.
“It is vital we have a comprehensive separate safe collection and disposal pathway to remove all battery and battery powered items from existing waste streams, given they are highly incendiary and pose a real risk to trucks and facilities that are not intended to collect these devices.
“This is vital for the safety of our workers and facilities.
“To date, the only state WMRR is aware of that has committed to funding collection points for these embedded batteries is NSW. We need all states to commit funding now and establish safe drop off points and keep our industry and our workers safe while Environment Ministers develop the national stewardship scheme to be considered by all states later this year,” Ms Sloan said.
