In 2015, thousands of self-balancing ‘hoverboards’ were impounded at ports across the UK after they were found to pose a fire risk. Labelled by the media as “the UK’s most dangerous Christmas gift”, more than 17,000 self balancing boards were examined at national entry points in the months leading up to Christmas. Of these, over 15,000 were assessed and deemed unsafe for public use. The boards were detained and left to await their fate.

In February 2016, following these safety fears, iWaste was assigned the task of making a number of boards safe for use before correctly recycling the components.

The client had racked up losses in excess of £12,000 on importing the faulty boards. Trading Standards became involved and contacted iWaste to solve the problem. Media reports blamed non UK compliant plugs, faults with the cut-off switch leading to overcharging batteries and cheap components used in Chinese factories where the boards were produced. Hot glue and plastic screws added to the problem.