Vape producers to share recycling costs under new rules

The UK government has announced new regulations requiring online marketplaces and vape producers to contribute to the recycling of waste electricals, including vapes.

The reforms, unveiled on Tuesday by circular economy minister Mary Creagh, aim to address the unfair burden placed on UK-based businesses, which have shouldered the majority of costs for recycling and processing waste electricals.

With 100,000 tonnes of household electricals binned every year, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said the changes will for the first time make sure the burden of these costs does not unduly fall on UK retailers compared to their online rivals.

“Electrical equipment like vapes are being sold in the UK by producers who are failing to pay their fair share when recycling and reusing of dealing with old or broken items,” Creagh said.

“Today we’re ending this: creating a level playing field for all producers of electronics, to ensure fairness and fund the cost of the treatment of waste electricals.”

Under the plans, online marketplaces will need to register with the Environment Agency and report data on UK sales of their overseas sellers. This data will be used to calculate the financial contribution the online marketplace will make towards the costs of collection and treatment of waste electricals that are collected by local authorities and returned to retailers.

A new category of electrical equipment for vapes will also be introduced to ensure that the costs of collecting and treating vapes fall fairly on those who produce them.

Scott Butler, executive director at Material Focus, welcomed the reforms, emphasising the growing issue of FastTech items like vapes.

“These small, cheap and too easily thrown away items contain valuable materials such as copper, gold, and lithium which are lost forever and could instead power our tech future. Creating a separate category for vapes means that those who have been profiting from the boom in their sales can be held responsible for providing public takeback, communications and most importantly pay for recycling them,” he said.

Material Focus research reveals that 5 million vapes are either littered or thrown away weekly in the UK. These devices, often not designed with recycling in mind, pose significant challenges for waste management.