Environmental Impact
Both cigarettes and vapes have environmental impacts, but vapes (especially disposable ones) contribute significant electronic waste because of plastics, lithium-ion batteries and heavy metals.
Before the disposable vape ban, millions of devices were discarded each week — estimates suggested around 5 million disposables thrown away weekly, many entering general waste rather than recycling.
Disposable vapes are made of non-biodegradable plastics, lithium-ion batteries and electronic circuits. These materials:
- Don’t break down easily
- Can leach toxic chemicals into soil and waterways
- Waste valuable resources like lithium and copper that could be reused.
Yes — lithium-ion batteries inside vapes can short, ignite or explode when crushed in general waste or recycling processes, increasing waste fires and endangering workers and waste systems.
Improperly discarded vapes can leach nicotine, heavy metals and battery chemicals into the environment, which can harm wildlife and ecosystems if they enter soil or waterways.
Only a small percentage of vapes are recycled correctly — most end up in regular waste bins instead of specialist e-waste recycling, meaning valuable materials are lost and environmental risks increase.
Yes — in the UK vapes are classed as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), meaning they should be recycled through appropriate channels like specialist collection points, not thrown in general waste. Proper recycling helps recover metals and plastics and avoids hazards.
Partly — the UK banned single-use disposable vapes from June 1, 2025 largely to reduce waste, litter and environmental damage caused by millions of throwaway devices.
Littered vapes introduce plastics and toxic components into the natural environment, which can harm wildlife and ecosystems, break down into microplastics, and contribute to general pollution.
Cigarette butts are still a massive global source of litter and microplastics, but vaping adds a newer stream of toxic e-waste (batteries and electronics) that requires different recycling infrastructure. Efforts are ongoing to improve disposal and reduce impact.