Why vape waste is still a problem (and what to do about it)

While the disposable vape ban came into effect on 1 June 2025, nearly a year later, there are still over 6 million vapes ending up in household, public and commercial bins each week. Out of 6 million of them, around 200,000 are recycled incorrectly – in some instances causing fires in recycling centres and lorries. In fact, in 2024 alone, there were over 1,000 vape-based fires recorded.

So, while the ban has come into effect and disposable vapes are harder to find, they are still causing environmental damage, fire hazards and putting a strain on recycling centres.

Let’s look at why this problem persists and what to do about vape waste.

Why vape waste is a serious issue

The make-up of vapes or e-cigarettes presents several environmental issues. As they contain lithium-ion batteries inside, they ignite if damaged or crushed in bins and bin lorries. Some recycling centres are reporting one fire a day across their vehicles and centres, threatening the safety of workers and adding up to the clean-up and fire-damage costs.

Besides the lithium-ion battery, vapes contain plastic, metals and nicotine residue – all of which have a negative environmental impact, contributing to pollution if they end up in landfills.

What can businesses do about vape waste

Everyone has a shared responsibility when it comes to correctly recycling disposable vapes. Businesses of all sizes have a legal requirement to provide take-back schemes for disposable vapes and failure to have that in place could lead to fines of up to £5,000 per store.

To streamline the correct handling of electronic waste, organisations should partner with responsible waste management companies to manage their Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection. This ensures vapes don’t end up in landfills causing severe environmental damage.

Knowledge is power and this very much applies to the correct disposal of vapes. Businesses should invest time in training staff on hazardous waste handling and prioritise WEEE waste collection within their business, as this can help reduce the number of incorrectly disposed vapes and associated environmental harm.

It doesn’t end with a ban

While the ban on disposable vapes has slightly reduced the accessibility of the products, the damage left behind after is still very much there – and plenty of reusable vapes are also being binned on a regular basis. The sales may be lower but the waste and safety issue still remains with millions of vapes still being discarded improperly and causing problems such as short circuit of batteries, toxic chemical leakage and stress on recycling systems.

The process of recycling a vape should be as easy as possible and this is only possible through better public understanding, informative instructions at seller points and easily accessible recycling stations.

At Everflow, we’re serious about tackling the vape waste problem. We make vape disposal, collection and recycling simple, safe and fully compliant. With the right containers and flexible collections, it’s never been easier to do your part in protecting the environment.