An estimated 8.2m vape products are thrown away every week, according to new research.
Material Focus research, conducted by Opinum, reports that 8.2m single use, pod and ‘big puff’ products are either thrown away or incorrectly recycled every week, equating to 13 every second. This is up from five million per week last year.
With single-use vapes set to be banned next year, Material Focus called for more solutions to the sustainability issue. It urged:
• Immediate, significant and transparent vape industry action on a comprehensive and widely accessible take-back and recycling solution alongside a major communications campaign to raise public awareness
• More information displayed on vapes on how they can be recycled and also in stores
• More recycling points for vapes in stores, parks, public places and schools and universities and colleges
• Vapers shop from places that only offer recycling facilities
• In-store take back to be emphasised as part of a proposed licensing system for selling vapes
The environmental lobby group warned that the rise in ‘big puff’ devices, which it believes have been created to circumvent the upcoming legislation, will cause further environmental challenges.
Executive director of Material Focus, Scott Butler said the upcoming legislation will only solve some of the problem. “Without quick and extensive action, the threat of a vapocalypse remains and new big puff vape models are already contributing to an environmental nightmare. Vape producers are being infinitely creative with their products in order to avoid the forthcoming disposable vape ban. Whilst the current ban will take some of the most environmentally wasteful products off the market, we might need more flexible legislation to deal with the ongoing challenges of the new products surging onto the market. It’s good to see that more vape retailers are beginning to provide recycling facilities, and more people are recycling them. However this isn’t anywhere near enough to turn the tide. The majority of vapers are either unaware of where to recycle their vapes or don’t have a good experience of recycling them. It should be as easy to recycle a vape as it is to buy one. We want more vapers demanding that where they buy them provide recycling points as it is a legal obligation for all those who sell vapes to provide this after all.
Butler warned that vape recycling needs to step up. “Vapes, like any other electrical with a plug, battery or cable, should never be binned and always be recycled as a minimum. We need rapid growth in the number of accessible and visible vape recycling drop-off points. And we need proper retailer and producer financing of genuine recycling solutions to recover materials and manage fire risks. The UK needs more accessible recycling drop-off points in stores, in parks, in public spaces near offices, bars and pubs, and in schools, colleges and universities.“
In response to the Material Focus research, Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) chair Marcus Saxton said:
“The IBVTA applauds the efforts of so many retailers in enabling a substantial increase in the number of disposable vapes being responsibly disposed of and recycled.
“Clearly more must be done to educate consumers, and inform them where they can return used vapes for recycling. Even more importantly, ahead of the single-use “disposable” vape ban in June 2025, we hope that many more vapers will understand that it doesn’t have to stop at recycling their vapes. By switching to refillable and rechargeable devices, it offers a far greater opportunity to reduce environmental impact, paving the way for a even more sustainable approach to vaping.”
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