Vape Take-Back: Your Obligations as a UK Retailer
If you sell vapes in the UK, your WEEE take-back obligations are already in force. Here's exactly what you need to do, why the DTS doesn't apply, and how to set up a compliant collection route.
In 2024, the number of people who vape in Britain exceeded those who smoke traditional cigarettes for the first time with approximately 5.4 million vapers compared to 4.9 million smokers.
If you are one of the businesses selling vapes to that wide consumer base, you have a legal obligation to take them back from customers. These aren’t rules for the future, they apply now.
Retailer obligations have been in place since 1 April 2024 and currently, most retailers selling vapes are not fully compliant. Usually, that’s not down to deliberate avoidance. The legislation is already in force and the rules are pretty clear. But limited communication on law has left many retailers unclear about what they need to do to comply.
If your business sells vapes, read more to understand what the regulations require and how to meet them.
A finished vape is classified as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). That means that vapes come under the same regulatory framework that covers the disposal of other electronic items such as televisions, fridges, and power tools. Retailers have clear obligations to offer take-back for equivalent products, and provide safe interim storage with clear signage, and ensure that staff are trained.
If a customer comes into your shop with a used vape and asks you to dispose of it responsibly, you are legally required to accept it. Once you have accepted it, you are responsible for storing it safely on site and arranging for it to be collected by a licensed carrier. From there, a licensed carrier must take it to a permitted facility for processing.
In August 2025, a new dedicated WEEE category covering vapes and e-cigarettes, Category 15, was introduced as part of an amendment to the UK WEEE Regulations While this introduction formalised vapes as their own classification within the regulatory framework, it does not create further retailer obligations.
Most retailers selling electrical goods below £100,000 annually across all their stores can meet their WEEE obligations by joining the Distributor Take-Back Scheme (DTS). The DTS allows retailers to pay a fee in lieu of operating physical take-back in store. It is a widely used and straightforward compliance route for general electrical goods. However, vape retailers cannot join the DTS.
If you sell vapes, you must take back waste vapes in store or set up an alternative collection point, regardless of your total annual EEE turnover. The rule remains regardless of the turnover relating to vape sales. If your store also sells other electrical goods below the £100,000 threshold, you can still use the DTS for those products. The exclusion applies specifically to vapes.
This is a challenge for most retailers as they assume the DTS covers everything they sell.
Complying with vape take-back obligations is relatively simple, you just need three things in place: a collection process, safe storage in your store, and a licensed disposal route.
Collection point and signage. Every retailer selling any vape products, regardless of the volume, must ensure they have a vape bin in store, or at the place of sale, in an accessible place for customers. The retailers are also required to put up clear signage and posters to ensure customers know that they can recycle vape products in store.
Safe interim storage. Vapes contain lithium batteries, which are a fire risk. Safe storage between customer return and your collection service is essential. Collected vapes should immediately be put into containers which are kept in a cool, dry place. Given the fire risk, used vapes should not be mixed with general waste, nor standard recycling bins.
Records. Retailers must keep records of all electrical and electronic waste collected and disposed of, including the number of units collected through take-back. These records form part of your duty of care documentation and should be retained for a minimum of three years.
Once your vape collection bin is full, the waste needs to move through a compliant disposal route. That means a licensed waste carrier collecting from your site and transferring the material to a permitted treatment facility.
The waste collection provider will give you with a hazardous waste consignment notice that documents the returned vapes are being taken away to be recycled responsibly. Keep this documentation. It is your evidence of compliance and your protection if your duty of care is ever questioned.
The ban on single-use vapes came into effect on 1 June 2025. This does not remove your take-back obligations. Rechargeable vapes remain on sale and remain in scope. If you have stock of single-use vapes or have already placed them on the market, your WEEE obligations for those products remain.
Any used vape a customer returns to your store, whether a rechargeable device or a single-use product sold before the ban, requires the same compliant handling. The product type does not change the obligation.
If you do not currently have a licensed collection route in place for vape waste, GAP can set one up for your stores. That covers the collection of waste vapes from your take-back bins, compliant waste transfer documentation, and a clear chain of custody from your store to a permitted treatment facility.
Contact GAP to arrange vape collection for your stores
