Valpak responds to government vape announcement

Responding to the Prime Minister’s recent announcement on disposable vapes, Steve Gough, CEO at the UK’s largest compliance scheme, Reconomy brand Valpak, said that a ban on disposable vapes would be in keeping with industry timescales on vape recycling.

Gough said: “This announcement makes perfect sense in relation to the delay in investment for recycling infrastructure. While the sector has been waiting for a solution to this hazardous waste, investment in automated recycling for disposable vapes has been tentative.

“With a ban on disposables mooted, the consultation will be able to continue with the aim of creating a specific category for vapes that reflects the huge discrepancy between the cost of reprocessing vapes versus other types of small waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE). Reprocessors will be able to focus on solutions for reusable vapes – financed by the producers of reusable vapes.”

All vape and e-cigarette retailers have a legal obligation to offer customers a free recycling point for vapes, with enforcement is due to start in March. To help customers manage their obligations, Valpak offers a nationwide vape collection and recycling service, providing businesses with a fully compliant solution to recycle their site’s single-use vapes.

Gough continued: “Valpak has highlighted the issues around waste disposable vapes for a number of years. In 2018, a year after the number of people vaping outstripped cigarette smokers, we funded research into methods for separating the various elements in vapes to enable recycling. The trial took eight product lines and 1,500 individual units. With parts such as batteries and e-liquids packed tightly into the tubes, it was clear that separation of disposables represented a major challenge to recycling.

“As the popularity of these vapes has increased, Valpak has continued to campaign for separate collection, to reduce the risk of potentially lethal and costly fires. But disposable vapes continue to make their way into small WEEE and residual collections. A total ban will help to drive a more efficient and appropriately-funded recycling system.”

Ends

Editors notes

·      Valpak’s mission is to create a sustainable, waste-free world. We are driven, not by today. We are driven by tomorrow.

·      We help our clients to reduce waste and recycle more, continually innovating and using leading data science and expertise to inspire businesses, help push ourselves – and our industry – forward. We don’t just show our customers how to navigate waste regulations; we help them become more sustainable, through our ever-increasing capabilities and pioneering innovations. 

·      Valpak is the largest environmental compliance scheme in the UK. We work with major names, such as Aldi, Tesco, ASOS, and Miele, and manages compliance for more than 2,000 businesses. In 2022, it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

·      Valpak is a Reconomy Group company. Reconomy Group is an innovative, tech-led provider of services to enable the circular economy, with the purpose of creating a truly sustainable world by conserving finite resources. Enabling businesses around the world to improve their ESG outcomes, the Reconomy Group delivers value through its unique set of integrated capabilities - Recycle, Comply and Re-use.​

·      Reconomy Group serves businesses of all sizes in the following sectors: retail, hospitality, leisure, manufacturing, facilities management, transport and logistics, construction, house building and infrastructure.

·      Valpak services include:

o   Compliance under Waste Packaging, WEEE, and Battery Directives.

o   Data insights.

o   International compliance.

o   Recycling services (total waste management options and solutions for niche materials).

o   Consultancy.

o   Accreditation under environmental schemes, such as Zero Waste to Landfill. 

Valpak invests in pioneering systems and expertise which enable its customers to analyse, assess and improve product design. The Product Data Hub, Insight Platform and dedicated teams work together to drive change.