At the beginning of March, the WEEE consultation period came to an end with implications for the vaping sector, leading potentially to:
- policy makers introducing a dedicated category under the WEEE directive,
- responsibility for collection and treatment of vape waste moving completely to producers,
- and a new kerbside household collection service for electronics, potentially including vape devices.
Ironically, the WEEE consultation section that relates to vaping was designed to review current regulations due to the environmental challenges associated with single use vapes. However, disposables are now about to be banned. So, what does this all mean for the future of vape waste management in the UK? The timing of the government’s decision to ban disposables as the WEEE consultation is being carried out raises many questions:
- Is a separate stream now relevant given the type of vapes requiring recycling and the potential reduction in volumes that need dealing with through the waste chain?
- How will waste generated from black market disposables, which is expected to rise considerably upon introduction of the ban, be collected, treated and recycled, and who will be responsible for paying for it?
- What is the potential of household recycling in the new vaping landscape post-disposables and does it stack up financially?
- How does the industry and local government partner up to make waste collection more accessible in public places that are owned and controlled by the councils?
- And how do we get vapers to dispose of the millions of rechargeable devices and refillable pods that will still be generated as a result of the new vaping landscape that will emerge from the disposables ban?
- Is there an opportunity to create a scheme that recognises the environmental responsibility of the vaping sector?
To answer these questions and to detail what the WEEE regulatory reform could mean for the vaping industry, the UKVIA is organising a webinar on the ‘Future of Vape Waste Management Post-Disposables’ to take place on Monday April 15, 2024. The webinar will feature a panel of experts – chaired by Stewart Price, Head of Producer Responsibility Services with Waste Experts – discussing and offering their professional insights.
Click here to register you interest for the event.
ENDS