How to Recycle Vapes in 2026

The reason vapes are awkward to dispose of is because they are small electrical items.

Even a tiny disposable vape can contain a lithium-ion battery, metal parts, plastic casing, wiring, a coil and leftover e-liquid. So while it might look like a little plastic stick, it is not the same as chucking away an empty sweet wrapper.

The battery is the main issue. If a vape is thrown into general waste, it can get crushed, damaged or pierced during collection and sorting. That can lead to fires in bin lorries and recycling centres, which is obviously not ideal for anyone involved. Material Focus reported that over 6 million vapes and pods are still being binned each week in the UK instead of being recycled.

It’s one of those things that seems harmless when you’re just throwing one device away. But when millions of people do the same thing, it becomes a massive problem.

Disposable vapes are now banned from sale in the UK, with the ban coming into force on 1 June 2025. However, people may still have old disposables lying around in drawers, coat pockets, cars or bags. Those still need to be dealt with properly.

If you have an old disposable vape, don’t try to take it apart yourself.

I know it can be tempting to think “I’ll just pull the battery out and recycle the bits separately”, but that isn’t really a job for the average person sat at home with a pair of scissors. You could damage the battery, spill leftover liquid, or just make more of a mess than you started with.

The best thing to do with a disposable vape is take the whole device to one of the following places:

• A vape shop with a recycling bin.
• A supermarket or retailer that accepts small electricals or vapes.
• A household waste recycling centre that accepts small electrical items.
• A designated vape recycling point.

Disposable vapes should not go in your black bin, green bin, mixed recycling bin or a public street bin. They need to be collected separately so the battery and other materials can be handled safely.

If the vape looks damaged, swollen, leaking or unusually hot, do not keep it in a drawer full of other batteries and chargers. Put it somewhere safe, away from anything flammable, and check with your local recycling centre or council for advice before taking it in.

Prefilled vape kits are a bit different from disposables.

These are the newer style kits where you keep the main battery device and replace the prefilled pods when they run out. An example of this kind of device would be the Lost Mary BM6000 prefilled kit. With these, you need to think about the kit in two parts:

• The battery device.
• The used prefilled pods.

The battery device should be kept and reused until it stops working properly. Once the device is completely dead and you are not going to use it again, recycle it as a small electrical item. That means taking it to a vape recycling point, a shop that accepts electrical waste, or your local household waste recycling centre.

Do not put the battery device in your normal bin, even if it seems totally dead. Batteries can still cause problems after they have stopped powering the device.

The prefilled pods are a little more annoying. They usually contain plastic, metal, cotton, a coil and some leftover e-liquid residue. Because of that, they are not usually suitable for normal household plastic recycling.

The best option is to collect your empty pods in a small bag or container, then take them to a vape shop or recycling point that accepts used vape pods. Some recycling points will accept pods alongside devices, but not all of them will, so it’s worth checking before turning up with a bag full of empties.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s better than having them rolling around in your car footwell for six months.

Refillable pod kits are probably the easiest type of vape to deal with responsibly, mainly because you are not throwing the whole thing away every few days.

With a refillable pod kit, you usually have:

• A rechargeable battery device.
• A refillable pod or tank.
• A coil, or a built-in coil inside the pod.
• A USB charging cable.
• Empty e-liquid bottles.

The main device should last a good while if you look after it. When it eventually dies, recycle it as a small electrical item. Anything with a battery, cable or plug can usually be recycled through electrical recycling routes, and Recycle Your Electricals has a UK locator for finding nearby drop-off points.

If your device uses removable batteries, such as 18650 or 21700 batteries, remove them before recycling the device. The batteries should go to a proper battery recycling point, not in your normal bin. GOV.UK also advises that lithium battery terminals should ideally be taped up first to reduce fire risk.

Used pods and coils are the awkward bit again.

A pod or coil usually contains metal, cotton and plastic, and it will often have e-liquid residue inside it. This means it generally should not go into your normal plastic recycling. The better option is to collect old pods and coils, then take them to a vape recycling point or household waste recycling centre that accepts them.

If your local recycling centre does not accept pods or coils separately, follow your local council’s guidance. Unfortunately, recycling rules are not exactly the same everywhere, which makes the whole thing more confusing than it should be.

Vape bottles are different because they are not electrical waste. Most 10ml e-liquid bottles and shortfill bottles are made from plastic, and many can be recycled through household plastic recycling once they are empty and clean. The exact rules can vary depending on your local council, so it’s worth checking if you’re unsure.

As a general rule, you should:

• Make sure the bottle is empty.
• Remove the cap and nozzle if possible.
• Rinse the bottle out.
• Let it dry.
• Put it in your household plastic recycling if your council accepts that type of plastic.

The cardboard box your e-liquid came in can go in your cardboard recycling.

One thing I would not recommend is putting half-full e-liquid bottles straight into your recycling bin. It leaves residue inside the bottle, can leak over other materials and just makes the recycling process messier. Use the liquid first, empty the bottle properly, then rinse it out.

If you have old e-liquid you really do not want to use, check with your local council for disposal advice rather than pouring large amounts down the sink or throwing full bottles in the bin.

Most vape packaging is fairly easy to deal with.

Cardboard boxes can usually go in your household cardboard recycling. Paper leaflets can usually go in paper recycling. Plastic inserts are a bit more hit and miss, depending on the material and your local council. The easiest thing to do is separate the packaging as you open it.

• Paper or card in paper recycling.
• Plastic inserts only if your council accepts them.
• Devices, pods, coils and batteries should be kept separate.

It only takes a few seconds, but it stops everything ending up as one mixed pile of rubbish that nobody can do anything useful with.