Environmental Impact of Disposable Vapes (and Why It Matters)

Disposable vapes became popular because they were convenient. But they also created a big environmental problem: a single-use plastic device with a lithium battery, thrown away after a short period of use.
Because of that impact, single-use disposable vapes have been banned from sale and supply in the UK since 1 June 2025. This article explains what the environmental issues are, what the UK ban covers, and what to do instead.

Disposable vapes are bad for the environment because they are rarely recycled and contain valuable materials (plastic, copper, lithium batteries) that end up in landfill or litter.

Why disposable vapes are an environmental problem

• They contain lithium batteries
  Every disposable vape includes a lithium-ion battery that could be recharged hundreds of times, but instead is discarded after one use. Lithium is a limited resource and extracting it has high environmental cost.
• Most are thrown away incorrectly
  UK research shows millions of vapes were being binned or littered every week, rather than recycled. That means batteries and plastics enter general waste streams.
• They cause fires in waste facilities
  When lithium devices go into regular bins, they can be crushed or short-circuit and start fires in bin lorries and recycling centres. This has been a growing safety issue in the UK.
  They leak chemicals when littered
  If disposables are dumped outdoors or left in landfill, battery chemicals and leftover nicotine can leak into soil and water.

What the UK ban means (2025 update)

From 1 June 2025, it became illegal for UK businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes.

The ban covers products that are:

• not refillable,
• and use a battery that can’t be recharged.

Reusable devices with replaceable prefilled refills or refillable tanks remain legal.

Can disposable vapes be recycled?

Yes, but only through proper WEEE recycling. Vapes count as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), meaning they should be returned to a vape shop or electronics recycling point not put in household bins.

If you still have old disposables at home:

• Do not throw them in general waste
• Use a local WEEE recycling point or retailer take-back scheme

What to use instead

If you liked disposables for convenience, the closest legal options are:

• Rechargeable devices with prefilled refills. Same ease: open, click in, inhale then replace only the refill.
• Cigarette-style MTL kits (cigalikes)

Small, familiar feel, prefilled refills, no settings.