One million single use vapes thrown away every week contributing to the growing e-waste challenge in the UK

Media release, 15 July 2022

• 50% of single use vapes are thrown away
• Batteries inside single use vapes could power 1,200 electric vehicles
• Half a billion vapes bought each year

New research commissioned by Material Focus, has identified that 1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away every week, per annum this is enough to cover 22 football pitches.  The number of vapes thrown away are contributing to the fastest growing waste stream in the UK with over 155,000 tonnes of electrical waste thrown away every year and  527 million electrical items hoarded in UK homes. The research was carried out as part of an investigation with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The number of vapes bought is part of a growing phenomenon in the UK with half a billion now bought each year, with almost a fifth of UK adults having bought either a single-use, rechargeable, or rechargeable with a single-use chamber vape.   The research has also identified that single use vapes are particularly problematic with nearly 14 million single-use vapes bought each month, rising to 167.5 million a year.

The research found that over 50% of single use vapes are thrown away, compared to 33% on average for all types of vapes.  Single-use vapes are one of the most popular types of vapes to be bought alongside rechargeable vapes.  37% of people who bought vapes in the last year bought a single-use vape, and this increases to  52% for 18-34 year olds. 

Vapes contain a range of materials which when thrown away the materials contained inside them are lost forever.  Although vapes are covered in plastic, the lithium inside the battery forms a key material hidden inside the vapes. Each single-use vapes contains on average 0.15g of lithium and with over 1.3 million single-use vapes thrown away every week this accumulates to 10 tonnes of lithium a year, equivalent to the lithium in batteries inside 1,200 electric vehicles. 

Scott Butler, Executive Director, Material Focus said:  “Vaping is a growing phenomenon in the UK and over 50% of all single use vapes sold are needlessly being thrown away. This means that every week 1 million vapes are not recycled.  We need to take urgent action now and ensure that they get recycled.  You can find your nearest recycling point by visiting our recycle your electricals website.”

“Throwing away vapes means that we are throwing away some of the most precious materials on our planet.  A key part of the problem is that vapes are advertised as disposable. Producers and retailers need to work together to ensure that they should make people aware that vapes should never be binned and instead be recycled.  Recycling needs to be made easier and manufacturers and retailers can become part of the solution by adding collection points in-store.” 

Summary of other key findings from the research:

All types of vapes (single use, rechargeable, rechargeable with a single use chamber)

• Nearly half a billion vapes of all types are bought each year, or 38,230,063 per month.
• 33% of all vapes get thrown away on average –  3 million vapes per week thrown away, or 11,950,187 vapes thrown away per month or 143,402,244 thrown away per year. 
• 23 tonnes of lithium thrown away the equivalent to 2,884 batteries in an electric vehicle 
• About a quarter (23%) recycle their vapes in store when they buy new ones
• About a fifth (20%) recycling their vapes at a local authority recycling centre
• About a tenth (11%) give their vapes away
• About one in twenty (7%) do something else with their vapes.

Single use vapes

• 14 million single-use vapes bought each month
• Over 50% of single-use vapes get thrown away
• 1.3 million single-use vapes thrown away every week or 5.4 million per month
• 10 tonnes of lithium a year, equivalent to the batteries inside 1,200 electric vehicles. 

Rechargeable vapes

•  14,158,502 rechargeable vapes bought per month
• 2,607,314 rechargeable vapes thrown away per month
• 6 tonnes of lithium thrown away the equivalent to 782 batteries in an electric vehicle

Rechargeable vapes with single use chamber

• 10,113,216 rechargeable vapes with single use chamber bought per month 
• 3,970,227 rechargeable vapes with single use chamber thrown away per month
• 7 tonnes of lithium thrown away the equivalent to 893 batteries in an electric vehicle

For more information on how to recycle vapes, and to find your nearest recycling point please visit https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For media enquiries please contact kate@materialfocus.org.uk mobile 07714 708416

Research – The research was conducted by Opinium.  The sample size was 4,000 UK adults aged 18+ and research was run from 17^th to 19^th May 2022. Results were sent to a nationally representative sample and are also weighted to nationally representative figures of age, gender and region (taken from the ONS) to further ensure a nationally representative makeup.

About Material Focus and the Recycle Your Electricals campaign 

Material Focus is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to stop the nation throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals. Material Focus is delivering  the UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals campaign. The campaign is revealing the value hidden in electricals and is making it easier for us all to recycle and reuse the small electricals we no longer need by providing more recycling points as well as providing practical information on how households can recycle.

The campaign is funded by producers of electrical appliances. The UK government sets annual targets for the recycling of all waste electricals, including small electricals. If producers of electrical appliances don’t meet this target, then they contribute towards a fund (WEEE Fund) which pays for a range of activities, including communications, behaviour change activities, increased recycling projects and research. Ultimately the aim is to support actions that will help the UK increase the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electricals.

Click Here