Single Use Sucks

A lot of people who use single-use vapes aren’t aware of how environmentally wasteful and dangerous they can be. According to research from environmental NGO Material Focus, more than 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in the UK as their use soars. We want to build a local picture of understanding on the difficulties of recycling the vapes which contain metals such as lithium and copper. 

Single-use vapes are unsuitable for recycling with other waste as they are classed as electrical waste and there is a danger they will catch light in recycling plants. Larger retailers of single-use vapes should provide dedicated recycling bins, however, it is thought many single-use vape users are unaware of how they should be recycling their vapes and where recycling facilities are located.

We want to raise awareness of how dangerous their components can be to the wider environment.

The campaign comes amidst calls from Greenpeace and other environmental organisations to ban single-use vapes in England.

We are highlighting issues with single-use vapes as part of a wider initiative to understand more about the impact of electronic waste on the environment led by the community charity Hubbub and funded by Virgin Media O2.

If you want to get involved in the project or find out more about it, please contact Jane Herbert, Team Manager for Campaigns and Awareness at Groundwork East on M: 07726 695996 / E: jane.herbert@groundwork.org.uk