More than 6m vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, with waste management companies warning the sheer volume continues to strain recycling systems despite the ban on disposable e-cigarettes.<\/p>\n
According to research by the recycling campaign group Material Focus, the 6.3m vapes and pods thrown away each week in 2025 represented a 23% reduction from the previous year<\/a>.<\/p>\n This suggests the ban<\/a> on sales of single-use vapes that came into effect on 1 June 2025 has had an impact on levels of waste, alongside a 31% drop in the number of vapes bought each week.<\/p>\n However, the volume of waste is still creating problems. The waste management company Veolia told Material Focus it had roughly one fire a day across its vehicles and facilities, probably as a result of hidden lithium-ion batteries, while Biffa reported receiving more than 200,000 incorrectly recycled vapes in its mixed collections every month.<\/p>\n More than 1bn vapes have been thrown away over the past four years, Material Focus found. Its study, conducted with Opinium, also showed that nearly half of vapers (47%) were unaware that their devices could be recycled.<\/p>\n A sample of 1,000 people over 16 years old who have bought a vape since 1 June 2025 were involved in the research. The results were weighted to be representative of the UK population.<\/p>\n Scott Butler, the executive director of Material Focus, said the \u201cvapocalypse continues\u201d as battery fires rose across the UK. He said the tobacco and vapes bill progressing through parliament was an opportunity for change and suggested proposed licensing for vape sellers should mandate in-store recycling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be as easy to recycle a vape as it is to buy one,\u201d Butler said. \u201cIt is a longstanding legal obligation for all of the stores who are profiting from selling them to offer safe recycling drop-off points and cover the costs of doing that. Vape producers and importers should then cover the costs of recycling.\u201d<\/p>\n