Herefordshire chiefs have made a plea for people in the county to dispose of “vapes” or e-cigarettes safely, while parents are being asked not to smoke on football field touchlines.
“Vapes are highly dangerous when they get into the waste stream,” Cabinet member for environment Coun Elissa Swinglehurst told fellow councillors last week.
“They cause fires and are a risk to our operators, and it’s really important residents do not put batteries, especially vapes, into residual waste” – that is, black bags.
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The council has now introduced a “small electricals” collection, which includes batteries and now also vapes, she pointed out. These can be left loose on top of or next to, though not in, regular bins and sacks.
“If you’ve got a vape, throw it away responsibly through this system – then don’t buy another one,” council leader Jonathan Lester added.
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But Coun Aubrey Oliver pointed out that the council’s recently updated Stop Smoking Strategy “does not mention the increasing use of vapes, particularly by young people”.
Cabinet member for health and wellbeing Coun Carole Gandy said of the strategy that Herefordshire “does relatively well” on numbers of smokers, “but we could do a lot better”, with a recent focus on encouraging expectant and new mothers not to smoke.
“We also go out to amateur football clubs and ask parents not to smoke on the touchline,” she added.
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Coun Stef Simmons said: “We are seeing nicotine addiction through the use of ‘snus’ and nicotine pouches, and I would plead that we do everything in our power to clamp down on that.”
Originating in Sweden, snus tobacco sachets, which are tucked inside the lip, cannot legally be sold or marketed in the UK, though possession for personal use is legal. They have been found to be widely used by both male and female footballers.
Coun Lester said: “It is the focus of this council to pursue this issue, however the addiction is transferred.”
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