Tobacco Companies Refuse Help for Vape Waste Disposal Law

On April 5, tobacco companies in the UK failed to provide independent retailers with a recycling service for discarded e-cigarette products.

Amendment to WEEE recycling law requires retailers of electronic cigarettes to offer recycling services. Beginning in late March, the Product Safety and Standards Office will enforce penalties for retailers who fail to comply with regulations.

Better Retailing contacted Philip Morris Limited, British American Tobacco, and Imperial Tobacco to ask how they could assist retailers. None of them provided a specific response.

Lindsay Mennell Keating, the legal affairs director of Imperial Tobacco UK, has announced that the company has communicated "responsible handling guidelines" to both consumers and retailers. The company also confirmed that a safe handling plan for Blu devices has been provided to consumers.

A spokesperson for PML has clarified that the company is offering a recycling program for its Veeba disposable e-cigarettes, but it is only available to adult consumers rather than retailers. The company is also partnering with some retailers to test the feasibility of other initiatives that would make it easy and convenient for adult consumers to return Veeba devices.

A representative from Japan Tobacco International (JTI) added that the company does not produce or sell disposable electronic cigarettes, but "under the WEEE regulations, JTI pays a waste management tax, which local authorities use to manage the collection and disposal of electronic cigarettes.

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Tobacco companies have refuted claims that they are assisting shops in implementing take-back schemes for e-cigarettes.