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From 12 August 2025, vapes and e-cigarettes have their own WEEE category in the UK. Here is what producers, importers and retailers need to know and do to stay compliant in 2026.
If you manufacture, import, or sell vapes in the UK, the compliance rules around your products have changed significantly.
From 12 August 2025, vapes and e-cigarettes were given their own dedicated category under the UK WEEE Regulations - Category 15. Previously, vapes were grouped with toys and leisure equipment, a category where the recycling costs were being shared across producers of completely unrelated products.
The new category ensures that the people placing vapes on the market pay the full cost of collecting and recycling them. This guide explains what the change means, who it affects, and what you need to do.
Vapes were previously classified under Category 7 (toys, leisure and sports equipment). The problem with this was that vapes are expensive to recycle - estimated at £13,000 to £20,000 per tonne, compared to just £35 to £270 per tonne for typical Category 7 products. This meant producers of toys and other leisure equipment were effectively subsidising the recycling of vapes through the shared pool.
The 2025 regulatory change creates Category 15, which covers:
This new category means vape producers now bear the full cost of recycling their own products.
The rules apply to anyone who places vapes on the UK market:
If you are not sure whether you are a producer, see our full guide on WEEE producer obligations.
If you are a vape producer and have not yet registered, you must do so. If you place over 5 tonnes of EEE on the UK market per year, join a Producer Compliance Scheme like WERCS. If under 5 tonnes, you can register directly with the Environment Agency.
From 12 August 2025, vapes must be reported separately under Category 15, not bundled into Category 7. If you were previously reporting vapes under Category 7, update your reporting method and report under both Category 7 and Category 15 for the remaining 2025 reporting periods.
Defra is responsible for setting collection and recycling targets for Category 15. These will be translated into financial obligations for producers via their compliance schemes. Targets for 2026 are expected to be confirmed by Defra in the first part of 2026. Your compliance scheme will keep you updated and calculate your share of the obligation once targets are set.
Many vape producers get caught out here. Vapes contain batteries, which means you likely have two separate sets of producer obligations: one under the WEEE Regulations for the vape device, and one under the Waste Battery Regulations for the batteries inside.
You must report these separately:
WERCS handles both WEEE compliance and battery compliance, so you can manage both through one scheme rather than registering separately with two different organisations.
All EEE placed on the UK market must display the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. This must appear on the product itself, the packaging, and in any instructions for use.
You must retain documentation showing the weight of EEE placed on the market, how you calculated it, and evidence of recycling, for at least four years.
Retailers of vapes have specific take-back obligations that are stricter than for most other electrical products.
Vape retailers cannot join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS). This is an important distinction. Most retailers can pay into the DTS to meet their take-back obligations, but vape retailers are explicitly excluded.
Instead, all retailers selling vapes must offer take-back directly:
These retailer obligations have been in place since 1 January 2024 and apply on top of any producer obligations you may have.
Single-use disposable vapes were banned across the UK from 1 June 2025 under the Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) Regulations 2024. This ban covers the supply of single-use vapes, but does not remove existing WEEE obligations for producers or retailers who were selling them before the ban.
If you have stock of single-use vapes or have already placed them on the market, your WEEE obligations for those products remain.
Your recycling funding obligations for 2026 will be based on the weight of vapes you have placed on the UK market since August 2025. If you do not have accurate data, your reporting will be harder and less accurate.
Setting up a compliance framework early also means you are not rushing to put take-back infrastructure in place under time pressure. The Environment Agency is increasing enforcement activity in this sector.
WERCS is an approved Producer Compliance Scheme handling both WEEE and battery obligations, which makes us well placed to support vape producers who need both sets of obligations managed together.
We can help with:
Get a free vape compliance assessment from WERCS.
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