One lithium-ion battery fire every five hours: Why vape recycling matters
Over 6.3 million vapes and pods are being thrown away every week despite the single-use vape ban that came into force in the UK on the 1st June 2025.
This huge volume of discarded vapes, often put in bins with other recycling, is causing enormous problems such as increased pollution from plastic waste and hazardous nicotine leakage, as well as the loss of valuable materials such as lithium and copper.
However, one of the most serious consequences of incorrect vape disposal is the fire risk associated with them. This is having a detrimental impact on waste companies, with fires in bin lorries and at waste and recycling centres continuing to cause major problems. Recent figures show that fire brigades across the UK now attend a lithium-ion battery fire every five hours, with an increase of 147% over the past three years.
One of the reasons for the ban on single-use vapes was centered around reducing the threat of fires caused by the batteries within the vapes. Despite this, the vaping industry has adapted to the new legislation by moving towards refillable and rechargeable devices, rather than single-use ones. This usually means a battery-operated vapes are now sold with two pods or a charging port, making it multiple use and getting around the law. But, in practice, these are still being treated as disposable vapes.
Education is also part of the problem. Many people are unaware that vapes should not simply be thrown away but should instead be taken to dedicated electrical recycling points, with 47% of vapers not knowing that they could recycle vapes. Another common scenario is wishcycling, where people put their vapes in recycling bins along with their plastic, paper, glass and cans, thinking that they can be recycled that way.
Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are commonly caused by thermal runaway, a type of chemical reaction that creates extreme temperatures within the battery and toxic gases that cause it to explode. These fires are not only having damaging financial and operational consequences but also pose a real threat to safety.
What are your compliance obligations?
With the risks associated with incorrect disposal continuing to grow, retailers have an important role to play in ensuring vapes are collected and managed correctly. Under the single-use vape ban, retailers must ensure they have collection, storage and recycling arrangements that are fully documented and compliant with WEEE regulations.
- Record & report - Track and report vape sales and returns to ensure compliance and environmental responsibility.
- Take-back scheme - Provide customers with an easy way to return used vapes, such as in-store collection.
- Proper disposal - Ensure collected vapes are recycled through authorised facilities to prevent pollution and recover valuable materials like lithium.
The legislation surrounding the safe and proper collection and disposal of vapes is one of the most effective ways to ensure that vapes and their batteries don’t end up in the wrong bins, and retailers have a critical role to play.
The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will also come into force in January 2027, making it illegal to sell tobacco products, vapes and nicotine products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, with the aim of creating a smoke-free generation.
Whilst the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 does not directly impact or introduce new vape recycling requirements, it forms part of a wider tightening of regulations around vape products, making it increasingly important for retailers to have processes in place for managing vape waste.
Reconomy Connect’s Solution
This is where Reconomy Connect’s robust, compliant vape recycling solution can help retailers manage the risks associated with storage, collection and disposal.
We offer containers for take-back schemes in a variety of sizes and designs to ensure they fit your business requirements. For added safety, we can provide vermiculite, a fire-resistant filler that suppresses fires, absorbs potential leakage, and provides padding to limit damage to the vapes.
Once the container is full, collection is arranged and our ADR-registered partner will collect your vapes and bring them to a specialist recycling facility, leaving you with an empty container to start the process again.
Extracted materials are sent for reuse in manufacturing, batteries are sent to ABTO and ABE for recycling and other components are incinerated, as per the Environment Agency’s requirements.
The UK vape market continues to evolve. With the single-use vape Ban and the upcoming introduction of the Tobacco & Vapes Act 2026, retailers can expect increased scrutiny of how vape products are sold, managed and handled at end of life.
Reconomy Connect helps retailers stay ahead of regulatory change through compliant collection, secure storage, nationwide logistics and auditable reporting. We are passionate about giving our customers the resources and support they need to not only stay in line with legislation but also help tackle the undeniable risk that battery fires are posing.
For more information, get in touch with us today.