UK: E-cigarettes now subject to electronic waste regulations

The UK's waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations will be extended to include vape manufacturers and major online retailers (such as Amazon), Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh announced on 10 December.

All retailers selling electronics, including vape retailers, will have to register with the UK Environment Agency and report data on their UK sales. The agency will use this data to calculate the financial contribution the company must make towards the collection and management of electrical waste. The WEEE news comes as the government works towards a circular economy strategy for the UK, which will be published next year and will include sector-specific plans to reduce waste and develop business models that focus on reuse and recycling.[1].

The polluter pays principle applied to vape manufacturers 

Under the new guidelines, platforms like Amazon and Ebay will be subject to much stricter requirements to ensure that foreign sellers using their platforms contribute to the cost of collection and recycling. These platforms have been accused of flooding the market with low-value, low-quality electronics that customers don’t know how to recycle. These items are called “FastTech.” In addition, online models make it harder for customers to access resources on troubleshooting and repairs, or to access repair services.

In addition to the extension to online platforms, the WEEE regulation also includes a new category of electrical equipment for vaping devices. Previously, these devices were categorised as toys or sports equipment. The UK non-profit organisation Material Focus estimates that five million vapes are thrown into household waste every week in the UK.

While e-cigarettes can technically be recycled, the process is long and difficult. Some models require disassembly by hand to separate the batteries, electrical components, and various plastics. In other models (such as puffs), some components are interlocked, making disassembly very difficult or impossible. Additionally, nicotine liquid requires extra precautions for health and safety reasons. Most puffs also contain light-emitting diodes that light up when the user draws on them. These are unlikely to be recovered during the recycling process.

In a 2023 study, Material Focus found that nine out of ten stores that sell e-cigarettes are not meeting their obligation to offer recycling collection services. Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, welcomed these new reforms that allow the polluter pays principle to be applied to the vaping sector, which is responsible for significant pollution.

Communication opportunity for vaping manufacturers

Elfbar, one of the UK's leading vaping brands, told BBC News it welcomed the change: “We are committed to providing products that reduce waste and are working with retailers to help them navigate regulatory changes while ensuring adult smokers and ex-smokers continue to have access to alternatives to tobacco,” said a spokesperson for the brand.

In late 2023, Elfbar rolled out a campaign in the UK highlighting the environmental benefits of the brand’s devices. The posters, some of which were placed on buses and digital billboards, featured “recycling for a greener future,” along with messages about environmental awareness and the recycling symbol. The UK Advertising Authority (ASA) banned the ads, saying the ads gave the impression that Elfbar products were “widely and easily recyclable,” which it deemed “inaccurate” due to the very limited recycling options that actually exist for the products.[2].

With the upcoming ban in several countries (United Kingdom, France) of disposable electronic devices, manufacturers have marketed new models that they call "rechargeable puffs" that they present as more "ecological". This argument offers a new communication opportunity to manufacturers and makes them appear as responsible actors. This type of communication, associated with the image of a socially responsible company, is not authorized in many countries such as the United Kingdom and France. It tends to present manufacturers as bearers of solutions to the problems they create and hides the major scale of the environmental disaster attributable to them. 

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] UK to make online retailers pay their fair share towards e-waste recycling costs, EDIE, published on December 10, 2024, consulted on December 11, 2024

[2] Tobacco-free generation, UK: Puff adverts banned over misleading environmental claims, published on December 3, 2023, consulted on December 11, 2024