Three local councils have collaborated to establish new vape recycling services in Oxfordshire, the first of their kind in the UK.

These new services include easily accessible vape recycling points available across public areas.

Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council and Oxford City Council are aiming to bypass the problems associated with disposal of single-use vapes in ordinary waste or mixed recycling.

Recent research, conducted by Material Focus, highlighted that nearly 5 million disposable vapes are discarded weekly in the UK, equating to approximately 80,000 in Oxfordshire alone.

Funded by Material Focus, pioneer of the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, the services are part of a wider scheme aiming to facilitate recycling for around 10 million UK residents.

Designated Recycle Your Vapes collection points will be marked by clear, bright pink three-foot high plastic tubes and illustrative posters.

These will be situated at various small retailers, shopping facilities, bars and cafes in Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, and Kidlington.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: "Partly because of their environmental impact, we would support a ban on the sale of disposable vapes and encourage reusable vapes where possible.

"However, while vapes are still being used and thrown away, this project will expand the range of services for residents to safely recycle them."

Identifiable bright pink recycling bins will be installed at each of the seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in Oxfordshire as of November 29.

A new kerbside collection for vapes will also be introduced in Cherwell.

Councillor Andrew McHugh, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities at Cherwell District Council, added: "Cherwell District Council is always looking at developing ways to make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste appropriately and recycle more.

"We are pleased to offer residents the option to recycle disposable vapes in addition to other small electrical items at the kerbside."

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said: "We are pleased to support ‘Recycle Your Vape’ as it will help address the pressing issue of vape waste.

"This project could be an example for other initiatives across the UK, to make it easier to recycle vapes by providing public recycling points."

HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mascot, will feature in informational leaflets and posters informing residents about vape recycling.

Residents can also consult the Waste Wizard or their district council's website for further instructions on their area’s collection services.

The Material Focus Electricals Recycling Fund seeks to simplify consumer recycling processes.

Projects entail a range of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to drop-off points in school and community centres.

Over 400 new collection points will be made available for approximately 5.5 million UK citizens.