It is crucial to dispose of vapes and e-cigarettes correctly to prevent damage to the environment. This includes both littering and dumping batteries and electronic waste in landfills.

In the UK alone, over three million vapes are thrown away every week*, with around 1.3 million marketed as ‘disposable,’ adding to the existing issue of disposable products. Unfortunately, many people dispose of vapes like cigarette butts, resulting in a littering problem.

Cllr Karen Lucioni, the cabinet lead for waste management, expressed concern over the increasing number of discarded vapes littering the streets, beaches, and green spaces. Vapes are fully recyclable, and she urged people to recycle them responsibly, avoid using disposable options, and instead, go for rechargeable devices since they contain harmful chemicals that can pollute the environment once leaked.

How to Dispose of Vapes

Since vapes fall under small electricals or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), they contain useful materials such as plastics, copper, and lithium-ion batteries that can be recycled. As such, they should not be disposed of in regular household bins or battery recycling services.

Instead, take your used vape to a Household Waste and Recycling Center (HWRC), where the WEEE materials are stripped from the device and sent to recycling plants. This helps prevent toxic chemicals from vapes from ending up in landfills and polluting the environment.

If you cannot access a HWRC, vape takeback schemes are offered at many shops selling vapes as part of their legal obligation to take your used device for recycling.

News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed