We’re becoming increasingly aware of our impact on the planet and the importance of doing what we can to live sustainably, minimise our impact, and recycle where possible. Vaping is part of that. In fact, the popularity of disposable vapes and how many end up in landfills are the main reasons why the UK is banning the sale of them in June 2025.
Whether it’s the valuable lithium in the battery, the plastic in the case, or e-liquid bottles, there’s plenty that can be recycled to do your bit. In this blog, we’ll talk about the lifecycle of disposables, vape kits and e-liquid bottles and explain how you can become a more eco-friendly vaper by recycling your vape products.
Disposable Vape Lifecycle and Waste Implications
Despite the upcoming ban, disposable vapes are still readily available in shops and online. If you’re an ex-smoker, your vape kit has run out of charge, or you’ve forgotten/lost it when you’re out and about, it’s super convenient.
But we can’t ignore that disposable vapes are bad for the planet. In 2023, five million disposable vapes were thrown away or littered each week. That’s 8 every second! The amount of lithium in these batteries could be used to manufacture 5,000 electric car batteries each year. Lithium mining is expensive and polluting, so the less we have to do and the more we can recycle, the better.
What’s more, if the lithium finds its way into regular waste vehicles, processing centres and landfill sites, it can start fires. And that’s not to mention the amount of plastic waste they create. Even the cardboard packaging comes with a cost. In total, disposable vapes cost around £200m per year to collect and recycle.
What Are Your Vape Recycling Options?
Up to 80% of the materials in vapes can be recycled. Fortunately, there are plenty of quick and easy ways to recycle your vape, so there’s no excuse not to. Let’s take a look:
Local Recycling Centres
In the UK, vapes are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) - the same as things like TVs, phones and laptops. That means that many local and council recycling centres can take and process the vapes you use. They’ll usually have a bin or a big skip you can just drop them into. Simple as that.
We recommend checking with your local recycling centre first to make sure they do accept vapes and to save yourself a wasted journey.
Battery Bins
Battery bins can be found everywhere, but they are especially common in large supermarkets, hardware and DIY stores, and shopping centres. They look like clear plastic bins, and they can hold used batteries of all kinds.
Not all battery bins will accept disposable vapes. Some just accept the battery itself, which often can’t be removed from a single use disposable. However, they usually have a very clear sign above them which details exactly what you can and can’t put in there.
If it says you can’t recycle your vape there, it’s really important not to do so. Contaminating recycling can sometimes mean the whole bin has to go to landfill, and there is also always the risk of causing fires.
Vape Stores (like us)
Most specialist vape stores, either online or bricks-and-mortar, offer a vape recycling service. Some general shops that sell vapes (like newsagents) may also take them, but it will depend on the owner.
Reusable Vape and E-Liquid Bottle Recycling
One of the best ways to reduce your impact and the need to recycle your vapes is to switch to reusable and refillable vapes. Modern vape batteries can be charged and re-charged thousands of times before they need replacing - that’s a huge difference! Even better, reusable vapes often pay for themselves in no time compared to disposables.
However, even reusable and refillable vapes come with waste. You may have recently upgraded your kit or replaced an old, broken vape. If that’s the case, you can recycle it in the same ways we’ve outlined above.
Similarly, vape juice bottles are made of plastic that isn’t biodegradable, and you should do what you can to recycle them or reduce how many you use. For example, if you’ve found a flavour you like, buying larger, shortfill e-liquid bottles will reduce your overall waste to begin with.
How to Recycle E-Liquid Bottles
Most e-liquid bottles can be recycled in the same way as any other plastic bottle and go with your regular household recycling. However, you need to do a few things:
oRemove the labels: This will make it easier to recycle them down the line. If you can’t get them off, try soaking them in warm water for 30-60 minutes.
oRemove the spout: Most e-liquid bottles let you take the nozzle off, which is important because it allows you to clean the bottle.
oClean the bottle: Rinse it out with warm, soapy water to remove all the last drips and residue of the e-liquid. Residue can contaminate the plastic and make it non-recyclable.
oBin it: Place the plastic in your household recycling and dispose of it as you normally would.
Why is Vape Recycling Important?
All recycling is important, and even the little things can add up to big changes. Plastic bottles, tanks, and battery cases will take thousands of years to degrade in landfills and pollute the environment as they do so.
Much of this plastic is recyclable, so we can reduce our waste and reduce the amount of virgin plastic from fossil fuels that we need to create.
Secondly, vape batteries contain lithium. This is a finite resource that’s incredibly valuable while also being expensive and dirty to mine. The more of it we can use and reuse, the better. Also, when it gets damaged, it can be quite volatile and cause fires that are hard to contain. In the UK, this is less of a problem, but in hot and dry countries, it can be catastrophic.
What’s Next?
As we’ve said, disposable vapes will be a thing of the past in the UK come June 2025, so it's important to get ahead of the game and invest in a reusable, rechargeable and refillable vape kit. We’ve got everything from quick and easy pod kits to fully customisable sub-ohm kits for the experienced vaper.
If you’re not sure what you need, why not check out our guide to The Best E-Liquid Brands for 2025 or The Best Vapes for 2025? If you still can’t decide, don’t hesitate to contact us.