Waste Industry Proposes £5 Refundable Deposit on Vapes to Reduce Fires and Improve Recycling

The Environmental Services Association proposed a refundable deposit of up to £5 on vapes at the point of purchase that would be returned when customers dispose of them properly. Biffa put forward the £5 figure, which would be subject to consultation if the idea advances. The proposal aims to reduce fires in waste facilities and increase recycling of lithium batteries and other materials.

Disposable vapes were banned in the UK one year before 2026-06-01. 2 million to about six million since the ban took effect, according to Material Focus. Despite the drop, waste operators still receive hundreds of thousands of discarded vapes each week mixed with general rubbish.

Patrick Brighty, head of recycling policy at the Environmental Services Association, said the existing take-back infrastructure is underperforming because of a lack of incentives. "Despite the ban, each week operators across the waste sector continue to see hundreds of thousands of carelessly discarded vapes arrive at their facilities hidden among other waste, which poses a major fire risk," he said.

He added that vapes discarded with other rubbish are unlikely to be recycled, wasting precious materials.

Carla Brian, public affairs and partnerships director at Biffa, said the deposit would drive consumer behaviour change. And we think an incentive is the way to do that," she told BBC News.

Vapes can already be returned to stores or dedicated recycling points, but many are still placed in normal bins or general recycling streams. The Local Government Association has called for reusable vapes that are similar in size and price to the banned disposables to be prohibited.

Dr Wendy Taylor, chairwoman of the LGA's health and wellbeing committee, said year two of the ban must focus on enforcement and closing this loophole.

"A year on, the volume of vapes in our bins has dropped, but industry has moved faster than regulation – the products causing fires in our bin lorries today are effectively the same disposables in a different shell," she said. Marcus Saxton, chairman of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said more must be done to encourage recycling but warned that a deposit scheme would push buyers toward illicit retailers.

"Those retailers that aren't abiding by their legal obligation won't do this, it won't be enforced, and consumers will go to that route to purchase which is a complete disaster," he said.

He noted that some current illicit sellers already evade legal obligations. Vapes contain lithium batteries that can short-circuit and ignite when crushed in bin lorries or waste plants. They should not be placed in normal bins, general recycling, or littered.

Some firms now sell reusable models with USB ports and refillable tanks that meet current rules but function similarly to the banned disposables. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did not directly address the deposit proposal. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the government had taken decisive action on disposable vapes and is committed to holding retailers accountable for providing recycling bins.