In the UK, thirteen e-cigarettes are thrown away every second – that's more than a million devices a day. In the absence of a dedicated recycling channel and sufficient consumer information, electronic cigarettes, and even more so disposable electronic cigarettes, constitute a major environmental risk.
A study carried out by Opinium on behalf of Material Focus looked at behavior in terms of recycling electronic cigarettes, highlighting both the scale of waste generated by these new products, the rapid development of consumption, and the importance of a ban on all disposable electronic cigarettes[1].
Pollution, fires: the new challenges of this mass waste
As electronic devices, electronic cigarettes should not be thrown away as regular waste, but should be deposited at dedicated collection points. In fact, 80% of the components of an electronic cigarette can currently be recycled. On the other hand, the presence of lithium or copper makes it particularly toxic waste, which can lead to lasting pollution of water and soil. Nearly 40% of electronic cigarettes purchased are single-use electronic cigarettes (puff). The low levels of recycling of these products are of concern for the environment, since 61% of consumers of puffs indicate throwing them in the trash. In total, 8.2 million electronic cigarettes are thrown away every week outside of any recycling channel. The presence of batteries in these products constitutes a new challenge for waste centers, with a 71% increase in fires linked to damaged or crushed electronic cigarettes, between 2022 and 2023.
THE ” big puffs », the manufacturers' solution to circumvent the ban
According to the study, 77% of electronic cigarette consumers consider that manufacturers provide insufficient information on good recycling practices. Likewise, many vaping brands do not make recycling points available to consumers, although this is one of their legal obligations. According to the British Minister for the Circular Economy, electronic cigarette manufacturers still contribute too little to financing the treatment or recycling of the waste that their activity generates. Above all, while disposable electronic cigarettes were to be banned from June 2025, manufacturers anticipated the regulatory risk by marketing “ big puffs », offering 6000 puffs to the consumer, compared to 600 for puffs first generation. These new electronic cigarettes, which can be recharged electronically, but do not allow the consumer to refill with liquid or change the resistance, in reality have an extremely limited lifespan. However, they escape the regulatory definition of “disposable”, and therefore the ban planned in six months. By dividing the price per puff by more than four, these new products attract a growing number of consumers, reaching three million purchases per week.
Ban on puffs, recycling sector: solutions to deal with the problem
To deal with the “environmental nightmare” of disposable electronic cigarettes, Material Focus calls in particular for the implementation of immediate, significant and transparent action by manufacturers, to offer a take-back solution to the consumer, associated with a communication campaign, and requests that all devices sold be accompanied by clear information on recycling possibilities. For their part, public health organizations consider that preventing waste production remains the most effective solution to combat pollution. In other words, these actors are primarily calling for a ban on all disposable electronic cigarettes, including new generation models. Furthermore, as this issue was raised with the eco-organization Alcome for tobacco products, public health NGOs believe that the establishment of an electronic cigarette recycling sector must be strictly supervised, and not be misused by manufacturers as a tool for green washing and credibility with public decision-makers.
©Tobacco Free Generation
FT
[1] Material Focus, “Big puff” vapes are surging onto the market adding to the vape environmental crisis, 16/12/2024, (consulté le jour même)
National Committee Against Smoking |
