Disposal of Single Use Vapes

The OPSS (Office for Product & Safety Standards) provides enforcement services on behalf of DEFRA. They must check compliance by law with vape retailers to ensure they have a “take back scheme” for single-use vapes. All retailers (in-store and online) must comply to protect the environment and landfill. If you fail to comply with WEE (Waste Electrical and Electronics) regulations, you could be prosecuted and receive an unlimited fine.

What do you need to know?

Vapes MUST NOT be placed into general waste bins as they can cause fire and environmental hazards. All single-use vapes have an icon that indicates that the device must not be disposed of in general waste.
If you sell single-use vapes in a retail shop, you MUST recycle them by ensuring you have a waste vape bin. This bin MUST be available where you sell single-use vapes to customers. You can contact an approved recycler or WEE compliance scheme to acquire one. You MUST keep records for up to 4 years.
If you have no physical store and only sell online, or if you’re a small retailer you may qualify for DTS (Distributor Takeback Scheme).

Scan QR code for DTS