Concern over waste from single-use vapes grows: 90 tons of lithium and 1.2k tons of copper have ended up in landfills last year alone due to waste from the booming single-use vape industry, The Financial Times reports, citing data from research group Euromonitor, consultancy ECigIntelligence, and nonprofit Material Focus. The disposable vape has become the “fast fashion” of e-cigarettes, the chief executive of UK-based vape manufacturer Riot Labs said, while calling for “a lot more scrutiny” on the environmental credentials for his own industry.

Disposable vapes are not easy to recycle, since they contain flammable batteries and nicotine liquid, which requires each one to be dismantled by hand while taking extra health and safety considerations, the FT explains.

Policymakers are struggling to regulate the polluting industry: While companies in the UK and EU are legally obliged to finance a quantity of recycling equivalent to the amount they put on the market, analysis by Material Focus has found that only 16 of 150 vape producers and importers in the UK are registered to do so. The EU is set to pass a regulation making rechargeable batteries in all consumer products mandatory by 2027, but similar battery legislation in the UK has been delayed twice.

Effective policy for retail collection of used vapes is needed: Despite a UK policy requiring retailers selling more than GBP 100k worth of vapes to offer take-back services — a service to collect used products from consumers to reintroduce them to the original manufacturing cycle — a sample survey carried out by the FT in central London found that none of the staff were aware of recycling schemes. Vape manufacturer Riot Labs attempted to roll out a take-back-scheme across 800 shops but recorded a take-back rate of less than 1%.

The vaping industry competes with EVs over lithium and copper supplies: The quantity of lithium and copper in vapes dumped in landfills last year alone was enough to supply 11k electric vehicle batteries and 1.6 mn home EV chargers with their key components, the FT estimates. As companies race to expand their EV production, the International Energy Agency has warned that lithium may be in short supply within two years, pushing producers to think creatively for alternative sources, the news outlet adds.

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