Vape Disposal and Recycling in the UK

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) describes single-use vapes, also known as disposables, as devices that are not designed or intended for reuse.

Vapes as electrical waste

Defra warns that unsafe storage of vapes, or disposing of them improperly, creates a fire risk. Its guidance says vapes should go only into vape bins and should be collected regularly for recycling.

Take-back after the single-use ban

Under Defra’s single-use vape guidance, it has been illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes in the UK since 1 June 2025. The prohibition also covers offering these devices for sale or supply, and stocking devices with the intention of selling or supplying them.

It applies to sales online and in shops, and to all businesses and organisations that sell or supply single-use vapes in the UK. Devices containing no nicotine are included in the ban alongside those that contain nicotine.

Businesses that sell vapes, described in the guidance as distributors, must offer a take-back service for recycling. This obligation includes single-use devices returned by customers after the ban began, so the end of legal sales did not end the requirement to accept them back.

Returned devices and parts

Distributors must also accept vape parts that customers return for recycling; Defra’s examples are used pods, coils and batteries.

To count as reusable, a vape must have a rechargeable battery and a refillable container for the e-liquid. A chamber, capsule, cartridge, pod or tank can be that container. If the vape contains a coil, the coil must also be removable and replaceable.

Who pays for collection and treatment

In an announcement published on 12 August 2025, Defra reported that a category of electrical equipment specifically for vapes had been introduced. The purpose is to ensure that the costs of collecting and treating that equipment fall fairly on the producers.

The announcement also sets out the government’s commitment to a circular economy, where electrical items remain in use for longer and less waste goes to landfill. A taskforce of experts has been convened to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. That strategy is to include a roadmap for increasing the reuse and recycling of electrical equipment.