It has come as no surprise to us at Wastecare, and the wider waste management and compliance sector, that the government has announced today (Monday 29^th Jan) the intention to ban disposable vapes in the UK. As well as banning single-use devices, the government is expected to introduce restrictions on flavours and marketing, as well as implementing higher taxes on vape products.

We know that as with any new bill, the likelihood of this ban being enforced is likely to come with an extended timeline of enforcement. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has been quoted saying she was “confident the new bill would pass Parliament the time of the general election [expected to be this year] – with it coming into force in early 2025”.

The driving force behind the ban lies in the concern for rising numbers of youths taking up the habit due to the ease of access and sweet flavours of these vapes. However just as prevalent has been the environmental concerns regarding improper disposal and battery-related fires. The spotlight was firmly on the need for a solution when Material Focus published its findings last year on disposable vapes, calculating that a shocking 5 million vapes are thrown away every week. Undoubtedly this figure will have risen since then.

Like many in the industry, we are interested to see how the following is addressed in the coming months:

What will classify as a ‘disposable’ vape in regard to design

If there will be extended measures put into place to manage the illegal vape market. The Guardian revealed last year that millions of illegal and harmful vapes had been seized by trading standards in the past three years, with experts warning “this was likely to be the tip of the iceberg and that a “tsunami” of products were flooding in.”

Impact on funding solutions for disposable vape recycling once it becomes an illegal market

Whilst these questions amongst many others roll on – we cannot neglect the importance of spreading awareness amongst the public on responsible vape recycling. Disposable vapes will continue to be sold and discarded as this public consultation on smoking and vaping is driven forward – therefore the waste management sector must not lose momentum in pushing out collection points and educating users.

With over 5,500 vape collection points and counting, we at Wastecare will endeavour to continue pushing forward with responsible vape recycling and provide support and guidance to retailers and producers alike.

For more information on disposable vape collection and recycling, please contact our team at sales.enquiries@wastecare.co.uk or call 0800 091 0000.

If you are a vape producer or importer into the UK and would like to know more about your producer compliance obligation, contact our compliance team: compliance@wastecare.co.uk

Welcome to the February/March 2024 Issue of Wastecare’s Newsletter

In this edition, we discuss:

• Our upcoming Yorkshire Tour with Jumbo the Battery Elephant and Battrecycle to raise awareness on responsible battery recycling
• A whistlestop tour of our High-Temperature Incinerator, including how it works and the energy harnessed to produced electricity as a result
• Our rollout of remote engineer waste drop-off points, and the current demand for fallen stock clearance services
• How we are facilitating the collection and recycling of disposable vapes across thousands of collection points and counting nationwide
• The long-awaited WEEE regulations reform recently published by the government
• A look at the Transfrontier Shipping Regulations, raising the issue of the UK’s dependence on shipping our waste to our neighbours
• An invitation to join our February webinars on WEEE Regulations ahead of the consultation, and how to implement a takeback scheme

And much more. We hope you enjoy this latest issue of The Sustainable Insider.

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For media enquiries, please contact marketing@wastecare.co.uk.

Moreover, aside from transport costs and the environmental impact of increased carbon emissions, outsourcing waste management while continuing consumption perpetuates an economically flawed cycle. And others are catching on. China, India, Turkey, and Vietnam amongst others have started refusing our waste, and The Netherlands have implemented a waste import tax to regulate volumes entering the country. Repercussions of our waste export trade hit the headlines in early 2022, when the Environment Agency incurred a £1million bill from Indonesia to repatriate illegally exported waste—a burden borne by taxpayers whilst leaving the perpetrators unpunished.

The need for change is glaringly evident in the pursuit of global net zero waste disposal. It’s time to challenge these practices and the status quo. Why can’t we process this material domestically when we have the capacity to do so?

Countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden serve as key examples of having invested in sustainable, efficient, and clean waste recovery methods internally. Sweden’s model means that it recycles nearly half of what is thrown away, and the majority of the rest is utilised in waste-to-energy processes – leaving less than one percent reaching landfill. This continued investment in recycling practices to reach the EU’s recycling target of 65% by 2035 remains at the forefront of Sweden’s strategies.

Our call is for the UK government and regulators to champion recyclers and re-processors, whilst encouraging investment in cutting-edge technology to position the UK as a leader in waste management.

However we do want to stress that advocating for self-sufficiency in waste management doesn’t oppose free trade. While importing products can be economically justified, the scenario becomes more intricate concerning waste. Refuse Derived Fuels and Solid Recovered Fuels for instance, are often transported to Sweden and Germany for recovery, incurring additional costs for transportation, treatment, and resulting in higher-priced electricity and products.

Ultimately, it’s now more imperative than ever for the UK to leverage its domestic infrastructure to attract investments that elevate our waste management standards and reduce costs for all. While benefiting from a global economy, we must strive for self-sufficiency and carbon reduction in avoidable circumstances.

We are pleased to announce our latest partnership to increase vape collection and recycling across the UK. We have teamed up with e-cigarette and vaping group Supreme Plc and global vape brand ELFBAR, to roll out vape collection bins across all B&M stores.

This monumental scheme Supreme describes as the “first of its kind to appear in the entire state of a nationwide retail chain”, in the hope it will “significantly increase” the expansion of recycling.

With more than 700 in-store vape recycling bins due to be rolled out in the coming months, Wastecare will be managing the collection and recycling. We are currently trialling mechanised approaches to dismantling vapes, with the collected devices to be recovered and recycled in line with existing disposal rules: the vape batteries are processed to recover the lithium, and the filter and nicotine elements are sent for incineration.

These vape bins will provide a convenient disposal point for B&M’s shoppers, whilst our nationwide logistics network will ensure a sustainable and efficient collection process. We believe that a visible recycling scheme with consistent collections will demonstrate the commitment of vape producers and retailers alike and will be a key step toward shifting public behaviour.

If you’re a vape producer, importer, distributor or retailer – our collection and our compliance team are on hand to provide expert advice and solutions – contact them here or email recycling@wastecare.co.uk