Disposable e-cigarettes and vapes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to smoking and for the first time this year has overtaken reusable and refillable vapes in the UK.
Disposable vapes contain a range of elements including lithium. Lithium is used worldwide in a range of devices from mobile phones to electric vehicles and is quickly becoming the go to battery type for electronic equipment.
Disposable vapes contain just over a tenth of a gramme of lithium, however research carried out by ,Opinium for ,Material Focus, a non-profit recycling organisation, suggests that around 168 million disposable vapes are sold annually in the UK resulting in an estimated 10 tonnes of lithium being sent to landfill.
Disposable vape producers like ,Elfbar and ,Geekbar are now under pressure from the government to meet the minimum obligation to recycle their products. Under UK legislation, batteries like those found in the vapes are classed waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) which by law WEEE producers must ensure their products are recycled.
A sustainable solution
At Cellcycle our battery recycling and disposal service is flexible and can be tailored for individual requirements. As a result, Cellcycle’s team of experts are developing a tailor-made recycling solution that can process, treat and sustainably recycle disposable vapes – providing manufacturers and suppliers with peace-of-mind that their end-of-life products are disposed of correctly and compliant with government legislation.
If you are a producer or supplier of vapes and electronic cigarettes get in touch with one of our battery recycling consultants to discuss your requirements.
