ONLY 23.7% of North Lanarkshire retailers selling vapes offer a free take-back service, new figures have revealed.
Retailers selling vapes have been legally required to provide the service since January of this year.
The findings from North Lanarkshire Council’s trading standards team come after it surveyed 101 of the 322 retailers in the region currently registered with the Scottish Government to sell nicotine vaping products – with just 23.7% operating a free take back scheme.
The team is supporting the UK Government’s office for product safety and standards (OPSS), which is working with the retail industry to ensure these recycling facilities are widely available locally.
Officers carry out visits to check that retailers are following the legal requirements on selling age-restricted products, including tobacco and vapes. They will also now check if shops offer a vape take-back scheme.
Most supermarkets provide recycling facilities, and the OPSS is now focusing on ensuring they are available in filling stations and other retail premises as part of a stepped programme to ensure full retailer compliance.
Helen Loughran, convener of the environment and climate change committee at North Lanarkshire Council, said, “Sales of single-use vapes have increased by 400% in the last two years to around 7.7 million every week in the UK, causing significant health concerns and an environmental problem.
“They are increasingly being dropped as litter on our streets and are causing a fire risk in bin lorries and at recycling centres when they’re disposed of in household bins. It is important that people dispose of vapes responsibly by recycling them to prevent damage to the environment.
“Our trading standards team will be working with the OPSS to ensure local retailers meet their legal responsibilities to provide recycling facilities, making it easy for residents to dispose of vapes correctly and safely.”
