More than six million vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, with waste management companies warning that despite the ban on single-use e-cigarettes, the sheer volume continues to strain recycling systems.
According to a study by recycling organization Material Focus, 6.3 million e-cigarettes and pods will be thrown away every week in 2025, a 23% reduction from the previous year.
This suggests that the ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, which came into effect on June 1, 2025, has had an impact on waste levels, with a 31% reduction in the number of e-cigarettes purchased each week.
However, the amount of waste remains a problem. Waste management company Veolia told Material Focus that it experiences approximately one fire a day in its vehicles and facilities, likely due to hidden lithium-ion batteries, while Biffa reported receiving more than 200,000 accidentally recycled e-cigarettes in mixed recalls each month.
According to a study by Material Focus, more than 1 billion e-cigarettes have been thrown away in the past four years. A survey carried out in conjunction with Opinium showed that almost half (47%) of e-cigs did not know their device could be recycled.
A sample of 1,000 people aged 16 and older who purchased e-cigarettes on or after June 1, 2025 participated in the study. Results were weighted to be representative of the UK population.
Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said “the apocalypse continues” as battery fires break out across the UK. He said the tobacco and e-cig bills moving through Congress are an opportunity for change, and suggested that the proposed licenses for e-cigarette sellers should require in-store recycling.
“Recycling should be as easy as buying an e-cig,” Butler said. “It is a long-standing legal obligation for all stores that profit from the sale of vapes to provide a safe recycling drop-off point and to cover the cost of doing so.Vape manufacturers and importers must cover the cost of recycling.”
Because vapes are powered by lithium-ion batteries, improperly binned devices that are crushed or damaged can cause dangerous fires in garbage trucks and recycling centers.
There is no specific data collection on lithium battery-related fires in England and Wales. There will be 69 lithium battery-related fires in Scotland in 2025, compared to 20 in 2019, according to the latest Scottish Fire and Rescue Service public information figures, with last year’s figures including 10 house fires, two hospital fires and three prison fires. Data dating back to 2009 shows there have been no related fatalities in Scotland.
These batteries should not be disposed of in regular bins and can be recycled in specific bins in many supermarkets, but they are being disposed of incorrectly, leading to serious fires in garbage trucks and recycling plants across the UK, with costs estimated at more than £1 billion a year, and injuries to workers.
These incidents also caused local spikes in air pollution that exceeded World Health Organization limits and posed health risks to nearby communities.
Although the ban on disposables has shifted the market to rechargeable models, an estimated 2.2 million disposable e-cigs are still purchased every week, the study found.
Purchases of standard rechargeable e-cigs also fell by 28%, from 6.3 million a week in 2024 to 4.5 million last year. This decline was likely offset by the increased popularity of large-capacity “big puff” rechargeable products capable of thousands of puffs compared to the older 600-puff model, and the expanded availability of refill pods.
Material Focus calls for a comprehensive and widely accessible collection solution combined with a large-scale public awareness campaign. The group wants clearer recycling instructions on e-cigarette packaging and prominent in-store collection points, arguing that this should be a core requirement of the proposed retail licensing system.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “Disposable e-cigarettes addict children to nicotine and blight our high streets. That’s why we took action and banned e-cigarettes.”
“Illegal traders will face severe penalties. Those who blatantly ignore the rules and re-offend will face unlimited fines or prison terms.”
“We are determined to see more e-cigarettes recycled and have made it mandatory for all e-cigarette retailers to provide recycling bins.”
