Planet of the vapes: How big a problem are e-cigarettes, and where can they be recycled?

Electronic cigarettes have taken the UK by storm in recent years, with a deluge of varieties for sale on the high street. No social gathering is complete in 2023 without someone puffing away in the corner on a small tube that smells of cherry.

Touted as a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking, there are increasing concerns about the health and environmental impacts of vaping.

More than 1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away in Britain each week, according to a study by e-waste recycling organisation Material Focus.

“Vape pollution is a huge problem currently for the environment,” says Kwok Yan Man, CEO of nonprofit the Green Wings Project.

“Single use e-cigarettes contain precious materials such as aluminium, lithium, and stainless steel - all materials that can be used for other functions such as making cars. They are also covered in plastic.”

As regulators scramble to catch up with this complicated new waste form, here’s what is already being done in an attempt to tackle the problem.

The UK government will propose plans to tackle vape disposal before the end of the year, as part of a wider reform of e-waste regulations.

Though there’s some enthusiasm for a disposable vape ban among MPs (a separate Bill for this is currently progressing through the House of Commons), the government is unlikely to go all the way in its revamp of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations.

More likely, it seems, are new measures to make producers design their products better and pay towards recycling them. That could lead to a rise in refillable vapes.

“Producers, importers and retailers of disposable single-use vapes have been avoiding their clear legal and financial obligations around takeback and recycling,”