Wastecare partners with vape firms to launch recycling bins in B&M stores

Wastecare said the scheme, in partnership with Supreme Plc and global vape brand Elfbar, will be the “first of its kind to appear in the entire state of a nationwide retail chain”, in the hope it will “significantly increase” the expansion of recycling.

The compliance scheme explained that with more than 700 in-store vape recycling bins due to be rolled out in the coming months, it will be managing the collection and recycling itself.

The company is currently trialling mechanised approaches to dismantling vapes, with the collected devices to be recovered and recycled in line with existing disposal rules: the vape batteries are processed to recover the lithium, and the filter and nicotine elements are sent for incineration.

Wastecare’s sales director Matt Stoneman: “We’re extremely encouraged by the adoption of vape recycling solutions by nationwide retailers such as B&M. We are proud to have over 5,500 collection points and counting so far, confirming Wastecare as the market leaders for vape recycling in the UK.

“We know that visible vape disposal points with consistent collections will demonstrate the commitment of vape producers and retailers alike, and will be a key step toward shifting public behaviour.”

Vapes

Under existing regulations, vapes sit under category 7, which covers toys, leisure and sports equipment. This means producers are obligated under the regulations as they stand. However, as they are extremely costly to recycle (Defra estimates costs in excess of £12,000 a tonne), the evidence for this category is often gathered using other products.

In December, Defra launched a consultation on its proposals to revamp the WEEE regulations, which includes a planned measure for vapes to have their own category.

Defra said this will “ensure suppliers of vapes properly finance the cost of their separate collection and treatment when the items become waste”. This will be done through making vapes a separate category under the regulations, obligating producers of them to cover the cost of recycling.

Schemes

Similar vape collection recycling schemes have been launched over the last year to tackle the growing issue, with more than five million said to be disposed of every week.

In September, Reconomy launched its vape takeback scheme (see letsrecycle.com story) where customers who sign up receive vape recycling bins for their premises. Biffa launched a scheme in July where disposal points were placed across the country (see letsrecycle.com story).

Veolia launched a scheme further 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).