Value retailer B&M is installing vape recycling points in its stores across the UK.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between the retailer, vape manufacturer Supreme and vape brand Elfbar. Vape recycling will be available in B&M’s 700-plus stores which are located nationwide.
The move comes during an ongoing government consultation about the future of vaping and potential restrictions on the market in the name of public health and the environmental impact of the items.
Hazardous waste management provider Wastecare Group is the fourth partner involved in the initiative and is in charge of collecting the bins once full and beginning an operation of disposing the single-use devices in a responsible manner.
Wastecare Group is in the process of placing vape recycling points at sites across the UK as it looks to raise public awareness about vapes and reduce the number of these products being discarded irresponsibly.
It offers expert compliance advice and solutions for vape producers, importers, distributors, and retailers.
Last year, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) implemented a de facto EEE Category 15 for vapes via a Producer Compliance Scheme Balancing System, to ensure collection and recycling costs are covered by vape manufacturers and importers.
Councils across the UK had been applying pressure on Defra and the Environment Agency to place stricter policies on managing vape disposal or impose bans on disposable vapes altogether.
Wastecare Group has warned manufacturers that failure to implement a holistic national recycling solution for vapes could see the cost of compliance escalate significantly.
Read more about retailer recycling schemes on Green Retail World
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