Millions of vapes could be dumped ahead of UK ban as retailers ‘fail to recycle’

Nine out of ten producers and sellers do not fulfil their legal duty to help consumers dispose of e-cigarettes, study shows

A quarter of a billion disposable vapes could be dumped before a ban comes in next year as most retailers are not fulfilling their legal duty to help consumers recycle them, according to new research.

The not-for-profit organisation Material Focus, which conducted the research, found that more than nine out of 10 of vape producers and retailers seem not to provide or pay for the return and recycling of single-use e-cigarettes.

High street brands such as Sainsbury's, WH Smith, Boots and convenience stores were among the worst offenders, providing little or zero recycling drop-off points, according to Material Focus.

The not-for-profit went into more than 700 retail stores looking for drop-off-points or asking if they could get their vape recycled, after seeing the products advertised for sale.