Customers who sign up for the initiative will receive dedicated storage containers specifically designed to collect used disposable vapes. These containers will then be transported to specialised recycling facilities to be disposed of safely.
David Seal-Yates, Reconomy’s head of circular solutions, said, “Vapes have become a major threat to the environment and pose a dangerous fire risk, so we need to manage their disposal urgently. Reconomy’s new recycling capability will address these issues, helping our customers and the wider environment by ensuring lithium and other harmful materials contained within disposable vapes aren’t finding their way to landfill sites.”
He added, “We’re very excited about this new service and its ability to reduce the environmental impact and fire risk posed by disposable vapes. Alongside our Vape Takeback Scheme offered through Valpak by Reconomy, we now have a complete proposition to support the end-to-end transformation and recovery of disposable vapes.”
Recycling
There are several electrical recyclers across the country who can also process vapes, but the process is costly.
Reconomy explained that once at a facility, the end of the cap is removed and the contents of the vape ejected and separated so that the plastics and metals can be appropriately processed and recovered.
The batteries are sent to an Approved Battery Treatment Operator or Approved Battery Exporter for recycling and the wick, filter and nicotine are incinerated as per The Environment Agency’s requirements.
The service is “complimented” by the Vape Takeback Scheme offered through Valpak by Reconomy which provides the 2,000+ vape retailers in the UK with a fully compliant collection and recycling service, the company said. This “allows retailers to provide a container for customers to return their single-use vapes and transports the vapes to a recycling facility for material recovery, re-use and end-of-life treatment”.
Schemes
The incorrect disposal of disposable vapes has been causing a huge issue for the sector in recent months, which has lead to several companies running similar schemes.
Veolia launched a scheme back in April where customers were given a container which also contained vermiculite, a mineral that “will minimise fire risks from the lithium-ion batteries contained within the vapes” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Biffa launched a scheme in July where disposal points were placed across the country (see letsrecycle.com story).
Defra has said it is its intention to give vapes their own product category as they pose different challenges to dismantle and recycle compared to other WEEE in the category, particularly as they contain hazardous materials such as lithium and nicotine.
Material Focus has estimated last week that around 5 million vapes are discarded weekly in the UK.
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