Gateshead Council has issued an urgent safety update (effective February 2026) requiring visitors to use dedicated, fire‑insulated recycling boxes for vapes and loose batteries. The guidance prohibits these items from being placed in general-waste skips at both the Cowen Road and Campground household waste and recycling centres as a measure to reduce the risk of dangerous fires.
Site staff at both Cowen Road (Blaydon, NE21 5TW) and Campground (Wrekenton, Springwell Road, NE9 7XW) will be checking visitors at the gate and directing anyone carrying battery-powered items or vaping devices to clearly marked high‑risk disposal points before they reach the general skips.
The move follows Gateshead Council warnings about lithium‑ion batteries, which the council says can ignite when damaged, crushed or punctured during collection or processing. The guidance also aims to reduce the risk of a repeat of the large fire at the Campground waste transfer station on 28 February 2021, which burned for days and caused major disruption.
The council’s action comes after the UK Government made the sale of single‑use (disposable) vapes illegal from 1 June 2025; many devices remain in circulation and are still being found in household rubbish, posing a risk to waste staff and facilities. Gateshead Council has emphasised that both loose batteries and sealed units inside electronic devices ‘can cause fires’ and should be recycled at designated battery/vape points rather than thrown into general-waste skips. Residents can find more information and booking details for local recycling centres on the Gateshead Council website.
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