Discarded Disposable E-Cigarettes Surge in the UK, Urgent Need for Legislative Support

A new study shows that the number of discarded disposable e-cigarettes in the UK has quadrupled within a year, rising from 1.3 million per week to nearly 5 million.

Research by the nonprofit MATerial Focus found that adults in the UK aged 16 and over now purchase more than 30 million disposable e-cigarettes each month. That is double the figure found in Material Focus’s 2022 study of adults aged 18 and over. However, only 17% of buyers said they would take their e-cigarettes to a local recycling center. In other words, most people throw disposable e-cigarettes away with regular household waste.

Commenting on the findings, Donald Macphail, Chief Operating Officer of waste management company Veolia UK, said: “Although some e-cigarettes are disposable, that does not mean they can be thrown into the bin.”

“We need consumers to return e-cigarettes and batteries to designated collection points so they can be safely processed and recycled, preserving valuable lithium and plastics for use in new products. We also need e-cigarette manufacturers to design recyclable e-cigarettes, as they contain critical raw materials needed for our future energy supply.”

Macphail added that the industry needs government support, as the country is still far from meeting the Environment Agency’s target of recycling 55% of e-cigarettes.

“To raise that rate, we need a stronger policy and legislative framework to encourage eco-design and new investment in recycling, and we need it fast. We need to create a standalone category for e-cigarettes under electrical and electronic equipment regulations, and ensure that all manufacturers are registered on the obligated producer list so that the ‘producer pays’ model can be properly implemented.”