Disposable vapes are getting more popular with each year especially among young vapers, thanks to the ease of their use and low maintenance. You don’t have to go through the hassle of charging them and you get enough puffs for reasonable use. Most importantly, disposable vapes are cheaper and some vapers even claim they taste better than normal vape juice. They fit in your pocket and are so easy to carry, allowing you to take a puff whenever the craving strikes. It is also an easy choice for beginners as they don’t have to worry about anything else rather than the actual experience of vaping.
With all the perks that come with disposable vapes, it’s safe to say that they have become popular as ever. As per a report by ash.org, the popularity of disposable vapes have increased from 2.3% to 31% of current vapers between 2021 and 2023. According to the 2024 survey conducted by the HMRC under the UK government, a whopping 43% among current vapers use disposable vapes.
While disposable vapes are great for a vaper, disposing of them is something that is rarely talked about. If you ask vapers, most of them would probably scratch their heads trying to answer how to dispose of vapes, or where to dispose of vapes. Is it something you can just throw into the bin and just forget about? Well, probably. But the real question is are you disposing of it responsibly?
There is no doubt that disposable vapes will create more chances of littering and responsible disposal of vapes is something that every vaper should consider. Keep reading and this comprehensive guide will give you detailed information on everything you need to know on how to dispose of disposable vapes.
What Happens if You Don’t Dispose of Disposable Vapes Properly?
Vapes are made up of plastics, metals, electronic circuits and most importantly, batteries. Needless to say, most of the components aren’t biodegradable and each of these components requires different methods of recycling techniques. Improper disposal of vapes reduces the chances for them to be recycled, causing a great deal of harm to the environment.
Most disposable vapes use lithium ion batteries, which isn’t good news when it comes to environmental safety. Batteries, along with other electronic waste from vapes, contains metals like nickel and cobalt that are toxic. Lithin itself is a toxic metal and can wreak ecological havoc when exposed. If not disposed of properly, they contaminate the water supplies by leaching out of landfills.
But is it really a threat when an average disposable vape contains only about a milligram of lithium metal? But consider the amount of unchecked toxic metals that reaches the waters and soils when you extrapolate the number of unrecycled vapes from a £20 billion market with around £4.5 billion vapes sold every year.
If batteries are disposed of carelessly, they end up in waste treatment plants where they are subjected to sudden differences in temperatures. This leads to a rapid uncontrolled release of heat and could result in a fire or an explosion. So it is very important from an environmental perspective to recycle these batteries.
The casing of vapes are mostly plastic which is one of the hardest substances to be degraded naturally. Plastic waste is one of the major contributors of water pollution, especially marine ecosystems. There is evidence to prove aquatic animals consume plastic waste, causing harm to themselves. Plastic recycling somewhat helps to mitigate these risks, and up to an extent reduce further plastic production as well.
E-liquid or commonly known as vape juice is what lets vapes fulfil its purpose; it’s what you inhale and exhale during vaping. Vape juice is a mixture of propylene glycol and synthetic food-grade flavouring, along with nicotine sometimes. Since you inhale it, it’s probably safe to pour into the drain, right? Not so much. When vape juices are subject to sudden temperature changes, the way they react with the surroundings change. While it may be safe for humans to inhale, it can contaminate water and cause harm to insects and rodents if they come in contact with it, especially under drastic temperature conditions. If left unchecked at your house, it could harm your pets as well.
Why Proper Disposal of Disposable Vapes Is Important?
Apart from the environmental issues that could arise due to improper disposal of disposable vapes, it is very important to get them to recycling plants. Proper and responsible disposal is the only way for disposable vapes to reach recycling plants.
As you know, most disposable vapes use lithium-ion batteries to power them and these batteries are not easy things to manufacture. Lithium, even though it is a renewable mineral in the technical sense, is not something that is not too abundant on the planet. As per the latest estimates, the global demand for lithium is expected to surpass 1.4 million tonnes in 2025, which is a whopping 53% increase compared to 2023. As a result, the global Lithium supply is likely to face a massive shortage by 2040.
With increasing global demand for lithium, the mining process for the metal has become extensive. It is ironic that lithium-ion batteries became popular due to the world’s quest for a cleaner source of energy, but lithium mining itself is creating problems for the environment. Generally, large-scale mining disrupts landscapes and ecosystems. Lithium is extracted by pumping out brine, which is a salty liquid that is found on the Earth’s surface or underground. Brine is then evaporated to extract Lithium and other metals, but this process, as per an MIT study, causes significant environmental costs. It also states the mining process also causes the production of 11 tons of carbon dioxide per a ton of Lithium.
Cobalt is one of the most important components of lithium ion batteries and there are prevailing concerns regarding Cobalt mining. The country of Congo is the largest supplier of Cobalt, and there are reports on issues with Cobalt mining in Congo regarding dangerous workers exploitation and artisanal mining. World organisations are trying to bring in strict regulations to improve the situation. In short, lithium ion battery production has become a source of social and ESG concerns amongst companies.
To ensure Lithium shortage is not created either by depletion or mining regulation, recycling the available batteries is a must. Recycled batteries can be fed back into the supply chain, reducing the need to cultivate more raw materials used for its production. While it is important that the metal does not get depleted from an environmental perspective, it also keeps the cost of batteries in check, and consequently vapes as well. While all of the above are big picture concerns, there are issues that are specifically related to the disposal of vapes. A recent study suggested over one million disposable vapes are thrown away every week, and around half of disposable vapes are not reaching the recycling facilities. It also suggests the amount of batteries thrown out each year correlates to powering over a thousand electric vehicles.
What is the consequence of this? BBC reports rising activism and campaigns against the use of disposable vapes which may push the government to bring in rules that are more strict, or ban the use of disposable vapes at all. So even if you are not keen on protecting the environment, you might as well recycle if you want to keep using disposable vapes.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Dispose of Disposable Vapes Responsibly
It is important to dispose of disposable vapes responsibly so that you make sure it reaches a recycling plant, and you enable the authorities to recycle it properly. First things first, you can see a symbol on your vape kit or its packaging that means you must not throw it in the general rubbish bin. This is because, like we explained in the previous section, the potential environmental impacts it could cause and the need for it to be recycled. The symbol is an ‘X’ over a rubbish bin.
If you can’t throw it in the bin, then what do you do with it? Here is a step by step definitive guide on how to dispose of disposable vapes.
Step 1: Separate Components (Vape vs. Battery):
Since disposable vapes comprises components made of different materials, recycling facilities require these components to be divided. For starters, make sure the device is turned off. You are probably considering recycling a vape since it’s out of charge or juice but just to avoid any safety hazards, make sure it’s not turned on during disassembly.
The idea is to separate the plastic components from the metal components and the battery. It’s better to start with the mouthpiece and then the casing. Always make sure you don’t spill any vape juice during the process. You might need to twist or pull the mouthpiece depending on the design of the device. Once this is done, you can reach the battery and the juice tank.
Some disposable vapes are not designed in a way that they could be disassembled by consumers, so it’s always worth checking the user manual, your local waste management agency, or the local shops or the online vape store from where you purchased the vape.
Step 2: Handle Batteries Properly:
The battery of the vape is the most important component that needs to be recycled so it is essential to remove the battery from the device. For disposable vapes, you might need a plier to remove the base and detach the battery. This Youtube video by RecycleYourElectricals.org shows you how it’s done. If everything fails and you can’t remove the battery, they tell you to add the whole vaping kit to your recycling.
Step 3: E-Liquid Disposal:
We already told you what would happen if you pour it down the sink or don’t dispose of e-liquids properly. Empty the e-liquid into a container for disposal, and wrap it in another bag or kitchen towel so that it wouldn’t leak. Kitchen towel is a good choice as it soaks up any spilled juice. You can now throw it away with the general rubbish, and make sure you wash your hands to make sure no juice gets absorbed by your skin.
Step 4: Use a Designated E-Waste Disposal Facility:
Once you dispose of the plastic and juice, you can use designated disposal facilities to dispose the batteries and electric components, and recycle bins provided by your council for other recyclable materials.RecycleYourElectricals has a designated recycling locator that lets you find a designated recycling facility near your location. All you need to do is to enter your postcode and select the type of device you want to recycle, which in this case is a vape, and it gives you a list of all facilities near you.
Along with some vape shops, top retail stores like Tesco, WH Smith, and Co Op accept batteries and components to be recycled. You can usually find a recycle pod near the checkout counters, but just ask a staff member for more help.
Are There Any Legal Guidelines for Vape Disposal?
In the UK, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has laid out specific regulations for vape retailers and distributors to provide a process to take back used vapes. Retailers are mandated to keep a waste vape bin and should be available in the location where they sell vapes and they should make sure customers can access them.
Once the vape bin is full, the vape retailers can contact an approved recycler, or through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance scheme. Under WEEE compliance, distributors must offer free take back of disposable vapes and accept them for free from customers supplied with vapes regardless of whether this is done in store or online. Retailers are advised to keep all collection records for 4 years.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states something similar to the guidelines provided in the UK, but it’s worth checking what the guidelines specifically say before going through the process, depending on where you live.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Disposing of Disposable Vapes
The most common mistake one can make is to dispose of the disposable vape in the general rubbish bin. Barring environmental concerns, the electrical circuits in vapes can cause fire hazards if they’re being thrown together with regular trash.
According to a survey conducted by Business Waste, 40% of the total population in the UK have never recycled their batteries, and around 30% have admitted to throwing batteries into the bin. Alarmingly, 75% of them didn’t know about the damage improper disposal causes to the environment. Neglecting battery disposal is an easy mistake to make and you should always find safe ways to recycle the batteries by making use of legitimate disposal facilities. Non-electrical wastes are usually treated at high temperatures when they reach recycling facilities. If you throw batteries along with your usual bins, you create the risk of causing harm to the employees at the recycling facilities as batteries could inadvertently be treated along with other materials at high temperatures.
Future Trends: How Vape Manufacturers Are Addressing Disposal Concerns
Along with focus on recycling and responsible disposal, there are measures taken by many vape manufacturers to ensure that issues related to environmental damage are being addressed. We have already mentioned the WEEE scheme.
At the moment, most vape manufacturers use plastic for the outer body. Plastic is something that is difficult to recycle and causes environmental harm if not disposed of properly. So it makes sense for them to replace plastic with something that is biodegradable and could be recycled without hassle. These materials include silicone, cardboard, or biodegradable plastics.
The previous UK government was keen on banning disposal vapes throughout the mainland and even announced in January 2024 that disposable vapes would be banned in England. With a lot of other countries already banning the use of disposable vapes, the UK is not likely to be far behind anyway. In such a scenario, considering the use of rechargeable vapes is not a bad option at all. Not only do they provide a higher number of puffs, they reduce the need for recycling as you’re bound to use the vape for a longer period. You can probably save some money as well with rechargeable vapes.
Proper disposal of vape devices is crucial for environmental protection and public health, as these devices contain harmful substances that can contaminate soil and water if not handled correctly. To ensure safe disposal, remove batteries, recycle where possible, and use designated drop-off locations for hazardous waste.
We encourage all vapers to adopt responsible habits by being aware of local disposal programs and making informed choices. Join us in promoting responsible vaping—visit our online store to explore a range of eco-friendly, recyclable vape products and accessories, and learn more about how you can contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet.
Your choices matter, and together, we can make a positive impact!