Previously, many people put lithium batteries in household garbage, causing fires and putting workers at risk. Waste collectors and local councils have also called on residents to dispose of disposable e-cigarettes responsibly.

So can Londoners do this? If they don’t, will it be a problem?

Campaigners say the materials and chemicals used to make e-cigarettes, including lithium batteries, make them difficult to dispose of safely. It’s a difficult task.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) says refillable e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes allow you to remove and recycle the battery.

Disposable e-cigarettes are more difficult to do because the lithium battery is inside the closed casing of the e-cigarette itself, so it can’t be easily removed. Don’t just throw it away.

A recycling agency previously told BBC London that it disassembles the batteries and then crushes them into a fine powder for reuse. Professionals are needed to handle it.

A study published in 2023 by the nonprofit Material Focus showed that the recycling rate for disposable e-cigarettes is only 17%, while an estimated 5 million disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away in the UK every week. Many people are not aware of this problem.

London Waste said: “Lithium batteries and electrical appliances with hidden lithium batteries should not be placed in the same bin as general waste or recycling, and a separate bin for electronic products should be recommended.”

If the battery of a disposable e-cigarette is damaged, there is a risk of explosion and fire.

Landfill fires are caused by batteries being thrown into household waste bins, pressed in garbage trucks or stored in landfill.

London Waste said these battery fires are “time-consuming and resource-intensive” to extinguish when an incident occurs.

Many retailers offer recycling services for disposable e-cigarettes, which you can place in special bins in the store, or you can pay for.

You can check your postcode to find recycling points at stores near you, such as Material Focus’s Recycle Your Appliances website and the London Recycling scheme.

Some councils also have recycling points at household recycling centres across London, but you should visit your local council’s website to check whether this service is available in your area.

In 2022, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told London Assembly members that the ReLondon partnership was working to increase recycling opportunities for e-cigarettes in flats by installing small electrical waste bins in some public waste bins, which he said reduced the presence of these items in residual waste. It would also be better for the environment.

More broadly, the previous Conservative government announced changes to the rules on e-cigarettes, including a ban on disposable e-cigarettes due to come into effect in April 2025.

This would effectively eliminate the problem of recycling legally purchased disposable e-cigarettes, as they would no longer be able to be sold. But a ban would not stop the popularity of e-cigarettes.

However, the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill has not yet become law before Parliament is dissolved before the general election in July – and the new Labour government has said it will introduce its own Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill.

Details of the bill were set out in this year’s King’s Speech, but there was no mention of a ban on disposable e-cigarettes.

BBC London has learned that ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are reviewing proposals to restrict the sale and supply of disposable e-cigarettes before formulating the next steps. Ensure that there is no flooding.

Meanwhile, safety experts and parliamentary staff continue to urge e-cigarette users in the capital to safely recycle disposable e-cigarettes instead of throwing them in the trash. Good control can avoid harm to the social environment.