Although vaping may appear to be a cleaner option than smoking, it’s crucial to properly dispose of used vape pens, pods, and disposable e-cigarettes.
Vapes have batteries and electronic parts that can harm the environment, so throwing them in your regular recycling bin is dangerous.
Fortunately, you can take your used vaping devices to any Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) Household Waste Recycling Centre.
If your device still works and is in good condition, but you’re just not using it now, consider donating it or giving it to someone (safely and legally) who might use it.
Otherwise, it’s best to bring it to R4GM for safe recycling, as we can accept:
Disposable vapes
Rechargeable vapes
Vape pods and cartridges
Whatever you do, never throw your vape or e-cigarette in your general waste bin or any of your household recycling bins.
Vapes contain lithium batteries, which can easily spark fires in bin lorries or at waste facilities if crushed or damaged.
Even the ones labelled “disposable” aren’t in the regular sense. They still need to be handled carefully.
We will ensure all vapes are properly handled to prevent environmental damage.
When you bring a vape along to one of our centres, you should follow these steps:
Turn the device/s off: Make sure the device is powered down completely.
Removal of batteries: If your vape has a removable battery, take it out and put it in the battery bin at the recycling centre.
Don’t try to take it apart: Some devices are sealed units. If yours is like this, with the battery contained, just bring the whole thing in.
