Oxfordshire, UK, plans to launch an e-cigarette product recycling service funded by Material Focus, a non-profit recycling organization, Oxfordshire reports.
Oxfordshire County Council, Charwell District Council and Oxford City Council plan to jointly offer a new e-cigarette product recycling service across the county to prevent people from discarding single-use e-cigarette products in bins, general waste or mixed recycling, potentially contaminating other recycling and even, in some cases, sparking fires in bin trucks or waste disposal facilities.
The new Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) bright pink e-cigarette bins will be installed on November 29, while collection points will also begin to be set up at other locations.
The project is funded by Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation leading the recycling electronics campaign, which has given Oxfordshire more than £40,000 to become one of the first county councils to spearhead the recycling of e-cigarettes.
The funding is part of a wider plan to make it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their appliances.
Residents will also learn how and where to recycle e-cigarettes through information on flyers and HypnoCat posters. Keep an eye out for HypnoCat, a mesmerizing pink furry mascot whose mission is to hypnotize local residents to recycle their e-cigarettes.
Councillor Pete Sudbury, cabinet member for climate change and environment at Oxfordshire County Council, said:
“In part because of their environmental impact, we would support a ban on the sale of single-use e-cigarettes and encourage the use of reusable e-cigarettes where possible.”
Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said:
“We are pleased to support Recycle Your E-Cigarette as it will help address the pressing issue of e-cigarette waste.” The project could serve as a model for other initiatives in the UK to make e-cigarette recycling easier by providing public collection points.