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The recycling company has partnered with VPZ, which has 150 stores nationwide, to place collection bins in all stores across the country. The Vapes are then transported to Wastecare’s plant in Elland, West Yorkshire for recycling.
The plant is able to “safely recover the precious material from the vaping device, as well as the metal and plastic components in it”.
Peter Hunt, managing director of Wastecare, said: “With the growing demand for vapes and e-cigarettes, we are delighted that VPZ is leading the way in providing a safe and environmentally sound way to tackle what is becoming a major challenge.
“WasteCare is the UK’s only permitted recycler of portable batteries. Every vape contains a lithium battery and our plant is designed to safely recover the precious materials.”
WasteCare is the UK’s only permitted recycler of portable batteries
Service
The service is now live in the whole VPZ’s network of over 150 stores throughout the UK. The service is open to all vapers, as anyone can visit a store and dispose safely of their vaping devices or e-cigarettes.
VPZ director, Doug Mutter, said: “We are excited to be launching this ground-breaking service with WasteCare to respond to an emerging environmental issue.
“Any form of littering is unacceptable however the proliferation of disposable vape use has led to single-use devices being discarded in local environments.
“Our partnership with WasteCare responds to this challenge head on and vapers can come into our network of over 150 stores throughout the country to recycle their vape devices, both disposable and reusable, in a safe and responsible way.”
Recycling
The scheme arrives amid a flurry of announcements in recent weeks on vape recycling.
Veolia launched a nationwide service last month (see letsrecycle.com story), where retailers can sign up for an in-store customer drop off container, which the waste management company will then collect.
Once collected, Veolia told letsrecycle.com that vapes will be taken to “various specialist UK facilities”, where they will be manually dismantled, and components sorted, before the materials are treated and processed.
A separate scheme has also been launched by Chinese vape manufacturer FEELM. Through partnerships with Royal Mail and waste management company Waste Experts, vapers are able to return used vapes at approved independent vape shops or via door-step collection by Royal Mail.
For every 10 vapes returned, people will receive a free item. “The recycled used vapes are collected on behalf of FEELM and sent to Waste Experts for professional recycling,” the company said.
