Independent retailers are failing to comply with disposable vape recycling legislation due to cost, management and hygiene concerns.

According to a senior government source, su­permarkets and larger chains have outper­formed small shops in following Waste Electri­cal and Electronic Equip­ment (WEEE) regulation. The comments follow research from the UKVIA showing not a single shop had been fined for breach­es of the law in the two years up to May 2024.

The source warned that councils were ramping up inspections of stores, with the most severe penalty being an unlimited fine.

The source told Better Retailing: “Authorities are pushing forward with compliance checks and engaging directly with retailers. There is enforcement on nearly all of them. They are doubling down on repeat inspections and engaging with those who sell a high quantity of vapes. More than 11,000 vape bins have been distributed to support WEEE.

“There’s a decent uptake from larger retailers, but smaller ones are reluc­tant because of cost. Some vape retailers don’t want to offer takeback because it can cost between £150 to £200 for a collection.

“There are also chal­lenges around manage­ment. If someone comes into the store to ask about recycling during lunch­time, it suddenly puts the staff member under pressure when there is a queue.

“It’s also around risk assessment. Many retail­ers aren’t okay with their staff members handling lots of devices, which have had saliva on them.”

Retailers urged to have vape recycling in place ahead of the disposable vape ban

The source added re­tailers who aren’t offering a takeback service risk getting caught out ahead of June’s disposable vape ban.

They said: “Those who vape will have sev­eral used vapes in a bag and there’ll be a sudden peak in devices wanting to be discarded. A vape retailer can’t say they won’t take them back. It is not going to work. Re­tailers must also remem­ber they need a written record of take-back.”

Ken Singh, of BB Ne­vison Superstore in Pon­tefract, West Yorkshire, is among the WEEE-compliant retailers who claimed there has been no support from a local authority level.

He told Better Retailing: “We see support for takeback from the manufacturers, but not locally. We have nev­er had any visits or sup­port from trading stand­ards or the council. There needs to be more help at this level.”

The government source stressed authorities were committed to educating retailers, rather than re­sorting to punishment.

Any retailer selling electrical equipment must comply with WEEE. Those who have sales of less than £100,000 a year can qualify for the Distributor Takeback Scheme, where they help fund local authority sup­port of the service.

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