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News

Safe disposal of single use vapes

Since 1 June, NEW legislation has made it illegal to sell or distribute single-use or disposable vapes. With Restore Recycle you can meet your legal requirements and recycle unsellable stock or your customers’ used vapes safely and responsibly.

Why the ban?

The stats make for eye-opening reading and explain why the government has banned the sale and distribution of single use vapes.

Plastics, micro-plastics and toxins such as lead and mercury in the environment

  • 600 puffs = 600 years+ in landfill
  • 8 per second thrown away to landfill
  • 5 million per week thrown away to landfill

Resources that end up in landfill

  • 40 tonnes of lithium from vape batteries in 2022, enough to power 5,000 electric vehicles
  • Copper and cobalt

Safety (and health)

  • 1,200 fires caused by exploding lithium batteries in bin lorries and at waste management sites across the UK in 2023
  • Toxic smoke inhalation from these battery fires
  • Long-term health impacts of vaping, particularly nicotine on young people’s still-developing brains, are still not clear.

Environment

  • Plastics, chemicals and batteries thrown away in parks, fields, playgrounds, woods – you name it – damage soils and harm insects, birds and animals, all vital for biodiversity. *

*Stats from www.gov.uk and their Environmental blog team

1 June cut-off date for single use vapes: have you met it?

Is it worth risking your reputation and your business’ finances?

You can incur a £200 to £5,000 fine or up to two years in prison for contempt of court if you ignore a ‘stop order’, depending on where you operate in the UK. If you are a newsagent, tobacconist, corner shop, supermarket, vape store, etc, you are now answerable to your local Trading Standards service, who will carry out spot check inspections, seize any single use vapes they find, and mete out a proportionate punishment.

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How Restore Recycle can help you comply with single use vape disposal, safely and responsibly.

Batteries that contain lithium-ion (Li-ion) or lithium-polymer (Li-poly) technologies can malfunction or overheat, causing sparks, explosions and fires – even in a disposable vape that appears to be ‘finished’.At Restore Recycle, we take every precaution to avoid fires and explosions, operating a responsible, registered vape disposal and recycling service that ensures compliant, safe handling of used vapes and their efficient dismantling and recycling. We can recover materials, such as copper and cobalt, and safely handle hazardous chemicals.In short, we dispose of single use vapes properly, in line with all legislation – both the ban and the WEEE Directive, which is a long-standing and robust legal requirement in place to reduce e-waste.

Restore Recycle offers two collection options for retail environments

Both tube sizes are designed to safely contain used vapes before they go for recycling.

10-litre vape collection tube

Designed for safe containment of used vapes prior to recycling. We ensure that used vapes are disposed of responsibly.

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20-litre vape collection tube

No special materials (like vermiculite) are needed – the tubes are safe and secure as provided.

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How our single use vape disposal/recycling works

Order your 10-litre or 20-litre vape collection tube and position it in-store where customers can safely drop off their used vapes. The tubes are safe and secure as provided.

When the tube is full, contact Restore Recycle by phone, email, or online to schedule a collection. We’ll handle the rest, ensuring the vapes are dismantled and responsibly recycled.

Job done!

Find out more by calling one of our knowledgeable customer services team on 0333 060 4127 and we can help you get a plan in place that prioritises safety and environmental wellbeing AND protects your reputational and financial wellbeing.

Contact our team