The scheme launched in November 2023 and encourages residents across Oxfordshire to recycle their vapes via the provision of convenient recycling points for disposable vapes.
With the initial at its end, Oxfordshire county council has confirmed that the majority of the collection points set up will remain in place. Residents can find further vape recycling points via the Recycle Your Electricals postcode locator and further detail on kerbside collections using Oxfordshire’s Waste Wizard tool.
Councillor Pete Sudbury, deputy leader of Oxfordshire county council with responsibility for climate change, environment and future generations, said: “The best solution to this issue is for disposable vapes to be banned, which the government is planning to do and we welcome this. In the meantime, our joint efforts to get as many of these items as possible into the recycling system has been a great success, and we thank everyone who has taken part.”
‘Responsible disposal’
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Oxford city council cabinet member for citizen focused services and council companies, said: “Once collected, the vapes were meticulously sorted and dismantled manually, with components such as plastic, aluminium and lithium carefully separated and sent to approved recyclers. This process not only promotes responsible disposal but also recovers valuable materials that can be reused.”
“The disposable vape recycling initiative in Oxfordshire has proven that vape recycling is important to the area and its residents. We are delighted with how engaged and supportive the local community has been and how the investment from the Electrical Recycling Fund has supported the success of the local project. As e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream, we hope to continue to see a rise in the amount of electricals recycled across the UK,” said Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus.
If you want to learn more about WEEE and associated changes within the sector, please register your interest for our WEEE Conference, taking place on 12 March 2025 in London, here.
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