The rise of vapes has created one of the fastest-growing waste problems in the UK. With millions of e-cigarettes being discarded every week, the environmental impact is becoming impossible to ignore.
From wasted lithium and plastic pollution to an increase in waste fires, the true scale of vape waste in 2025 highlights why responsible disposal and recycling are more important than ever.
5 Staggering Vape Waste Statistics
Around 1.3 million disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away in the UK every week.
This means more than 67 million vapes are discarded every year, many containing lithium batteries, plastics, and metals that could be recycled. When thrown into general waste, these materials are lost, and the lithium can cause dangerous fires in bins and recycling centres.
Only 15% of young e-cigarette users reported disposing of empty pods or disposable vapes by dropping them off or sending them for electronic recycling.
According to recent surveys, just 15% of young people reported returning empty pods or disposable vapes to electronic recycling points. The majority simply throw them in household bins, which leads to hazardous waste contamination and prevents valuable resources from being recovered.
Battery fires had increased by 71% to more than 1,200 in 2024, compared with two years ago.
Research by Material Focus found that the number of battery fires in the UK waste stream increased by 71% in 2024, with more than 1,200 fires recorded — many caused by lithium batteries from disposable vapes. These fires are extremely dangerous for waste workers and costly for local councils and recycling facilities.
5,000 electric vehicle batteries worth of lithium are being thrown away per year.
It’s estimated that the lithium thrown away in disposable vapes each year is equivalent to 5,000 electric vehicle batteries. This is a major loss of a critical raw material that could otherwise be recovered and reused in renewable energy technologies, batteries, and other essential applications.
76% of vapers say they would be more likely to recycle if vapes were marketed as ‘recyclable.’
Research shows that three in four vapers would be more likely to recycle if vapes were clearly labelled or promoted as recyclable products. This highlights the urgent need for better awareness, clearer labelling, and more accessible recycling options across the UK.
Professional Vape Recycling Services
At National Recycling, we provide professional vape recycling services for businesses across the UK. Our team can collect disposable vapes, rechargeable vapes, vape batteries and e-liquids. All of this waste is then safely transported to licensed recycling and treatment facilities for recycling and recovery. This ensures businesses are acting in compliance with regulations, whilst reducing the environmental impact of vape waste.
