The company Veolia, together with vejp company Totally Wicked, has launched a system for recycling disposable vapes. The initiative comes after the UK government announced that it will distribute e-cigarettes to one million smokers to reduce smoking in the country.
"By recycling and reusing them in other contexts, we can prevent nearly 10 tonnes of lithium from ending up in the wrong place," writes Veolia in a press release.
Disposable models have become hugely popular in recent years. As previously reported by Vejpkollen, the industry organisation, among others, has UKVIA called for a sustainable solution Disposable models, as the name suggests, should be discarded once they are used up. This is in contrast to traditional e-cigarettes, which can be recharged and refilled many times before they need to be recycled.
"Every year 143 million e-cigarettes end up in rubbish bins or on the ground" Veolia notes.
Biggest company first
The first to introduce the system is major retailer Totally Wicked, which operates 154 vejp shops in the UK.
"We have placed collection boxes in 150 of our shops. You are free to throw all used e-cigarettes in them. This applies to the intended brand and model and regardless of whether they were purchased from us or not," writes the Commissioner. Michael Saxton, CEO of Totally Wicked on the company's website.
"Must take responsibility"
According to Michael Saxton, who also chairs the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), the initiative is an important step for the industry as a whole.
"We must take responsibility for the products we make and sell. This is a concrete measure. The goal is for the sustainability mindset to trickle down to all manufacturers and entrepreneurs operating in the ecigarette industry," he said. Lanchashire Busienss View magazine.
New EU rules affect single-use models
The EU has recently announced a plan to restrict the trade in built-in lithium batteries. This could have an impact on the market for e-cigarettes, particularly single-use models. Under the European Commission's proposal, built-in batteries must be easy for the end user to remove and recycle.
