Vapers still treat refillable options as disposable
OVER 6million reusable vape devices continue to be thrown away in the UK every week in the UK despite the ban on disposable vapes.
According to new research from Material Focus, over 6.3million vapes and pods are still being thrown away across the UK every week as many shoppers report they did not know the devices could be recycled.
Nearly one in every two vapers (47%) have said that they did not know they could recycle their vape devices meaning harmful materials, such as lithium and copper, are still making their way to landfill.
These valuable materials are not only being wasted in landfills, but have also been connected to fires in bin lorries and recycling centres in the past and continue to cause major problems, says Material Focus.
Vapes are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which is binned can get end up being crushed or damaged which could spark dangerous fires. Material Focus has said that waste management centres continue to experience significant challenges from this due to the ongoing high number of vape waste in the system.
The firm said that Veolia, an environmentally-focused waste management firm, reported that it continues to experience a fire a day in their vehicles and at their waste and recycling centres across the UK.
Despite the eye-watering number of devices that are not being disposed of properly, Material Focus did note that the 6.3million figure is still a reduction when compared to 2025. The research firm said that the number of vapes thrown away per week has actually decreased by 23% from 2025 which has shown that the disposable vape ban has changed some attitudes.
With this in mind, Material Focus has called for more education around recycling vape devices with a demand for a legal obligation that stores that sell vapes must also provide a vape recycling service in-store.
Scott Butler, executive director at Material Focus, said: “The vapocalypse continues, as we see a rise in battery fires in bin lorries and at waste and recycling centres across the UK. The single-use vapes ban has had an impact, but 6 million vapes and pods are still being thrown away a week and this is still a massive waste of valuable materials and a major fire risk.
“It should be as easy to recycle a vape as it is to buy one. We want more vapers demanding that the places where they buy them also provide recycling points. It is a long-standing legal obligation for all of the stores who are profiting from selling them must offer safe recycling drop-off points and cover the costs of doing that.”
