A new analysis conducted by Material Focus has indicated that 90% of vape producers and retailers in the UK are failing to comply with environmental regulations.
Material Focus, the not-for-profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, has said its research shows vape producers and retailers are failing to pay the costs of collecting and recycling vapes, which they are legally obliged to do.
The research follows an analysis undertaken by Material Focus in 2023 which also identified that 90% of vape producers were not meeting their environmental obligations.
Material Focus said it conducted research amongst 764 retailers in 13 cities across the UK who sell vapes, including high street leading brands, convenience stores and specialist vape stores. The research found that, despite legal obligations being in place since 1 January 2021, only 86 stores (11%) provided recycling points.
Of the shops that were visited as part of the research, vape drop-off points were available in 33% of 57 specialist vape retailers. However, high street brands provided “very little or zero” recycling drop-off points for vapes, Material Focus said.
The analysis, which examined the company records of over 165 of the most significant vape and vape juice producers in the UK, identified that only 15 had registered to comply with environmental regulations for producer responsibility for waste electricals, portable batteries, and packaging.
Any company that is producing significant quantities of electrical items is required to register, report their sales and finance the cost of their product being recycled.
Material Focus said all of the companies that were identified in the analysis had become a member of a vape industry trade association, such as the UKVIA or IBVTA, and also registered their products with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The companies identified have not registered with UK environment agencies for various environmental regulations, which they must do annually depending on how many electricals they sell, that mandate contributions to the costs of recycling the products and packaging they sell when they reach their end-of-life, Material Focus said.
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, described disposable single-use vapes as “one of the most environmentally wasteful, damaging and dangerous consumer products ever made”.
Commenting on the analysis, Butler said: “The environmental responsibilities of vape producers and retailers are very clear. Any company that is producing significant quantities of electrical items is required to register, report their sales and finance the cost of their product being recycled.
“It is shocking that there has been so little progress since last year. As sales and profits have boomed the environmental impacts and costs of collecting and recycling waste vapes have been disregarded.
“With the forthcoming ban on single-use vapes due to be implemented in 2025 it is vital that the quarter of a billion plus vapes, that could be thrown away in the run-up to the ban, are instead collected for recycling and that we put in place an effective and accessible system for managing the recycling of new vape products, such as pods already coming onto the market.”
