The recycling dos and don'ts for throwing out your vapes

Yahoo

2 days ago

The government's ban on disposable vapes has come into force across the UK, making it illegal for any retailer to sell them.
The ban applies to places such as supermarkets, corner shops and specialist vape shops, and aims to target both the waste caused by the devices, and the use of disposable vapes by young people.
Retailers who break the rules will be first hit with a £200 fine and have all the offending products seized: those who reoffend face unlimited fines or jail time.
The government has said the ban will help "call time on these nasty devices" saying the products have "blighted our streets as litter".
So, as the ban comes into force, Yahoo News takes a look at what's going on and how people can dispose of their vapes properly.
However, some vaping industry experts have warned that reusable devices are already on sale at the same price, in the same packaging, as disposables, and that vape producers are changing products to fit with the ban.
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, which leads the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, told ITV News: "Vape producers are being infinitely creative with their products in order to avoid the forthcoming disposable vape ban.
'We might need more flexible legislation to deal with the challenges of new products with similar challenges surging onto the market."
Single-use vape are ones with a battery you cannot recharge or replace, and these are the ones affected by the ban.
Top brands include Elf Bar and Lost Mary.
Reusable vapes must have rechargeable batteries, refillable containers and removable and replaceable coils if applicable.
Data from anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health found that the number of vapers who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025
The use of disposables among 18 to 24-year-olds vapers has already declined this year, from 52% in 2024 to 40% in 2025.
Almost five million disposable vapes were either littered or discarded very week last year, according to campaign group Material Focus.
The devices also use lithium which is required for electric car batteries, and can explode, leading to a series of fires at waste sites.
Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources at Green Alliance, said in a statement: 'Single use vapes should never have been allowed on the market. They've been a blight on our countryside, wasted resources needed for important uses like EV batteries and caused scores of fires at waste sites.
'They've done all this while having a lasting impact on the health of young people, creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.'
The ban does not apply to using disposable vapes, only selling them, so if you have any left there is no problem about using them.
However, the Local Government Association has warned that stockpiling single-use vapes is a fire risk, with the lithium batteries in the devices posing a potential risk to life if stored incorrectly.
That means you should not recycle vapes in household waste due to the high fire risk from the devices.
Instead, there are recycling centres around Britain which can deal with single-use vapes.
They are often taken apart by hand to deal with the batteries in the devices, which can also leak harmful chemicals.
To find one near you, visit Recycle Your Electricals, enter your postcode, and type 'vape' in the box.
Recycle Your Electricals can also help you find places to recycle used vape pods and other vaping waste, as well as recycling broken vapes.
Household waste sites will also have bins for devices.
All household waste and recycling centres have bins for electricals and batteries. If you can remove the battery, recycle it separately. If you can't, recycle the whole vaping kit with your electrical recycling," Recycle Your Electricals says.
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