Written question asked by Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 18 May 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 2 June 2023. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 30 May 2023 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the non-recycled waste from disposable vapes; and what plans they have to build awareness of the direct effect of disposable vapes on the environment.

Answer: Disposable vapes are considered to be electrical products and fall within scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. Businesses placing more than 5 tonnes of disposable vapes onto the UK market have a financial obligation to fund the collection and recycling of waste disposable vapes. The regulations also set minimum recycling targets for waste electrical equipment. We will shortly be consulting on reviewing these regulations with a view to introducing measures aimed at driving up levels of collections of waste electricals, including vapes, to ensure more of these products are properly recycled.

Secondary information