As the UK’s largest vaping retailer we strongly believe that we must be at the forefront of positive change within the industry and have taken action to achieve this goal.

We have recently teamed up with WasteCare to launch a nationwide recycling service for vaping devices and e-cigarettes. Vapes contain lithium batteries and plastic and when littered they can cause harm to the local environment.

Our partnership with WasteCare responds to the issue head-on and we are committed to responsibly recycling all kinds of vaping devices during 2023 and beyond.

Doug Mutter with one of the WastCare recycling bins for vapes

We believe this innovative service and intervention is vital in responding to an emerging environmental challenge whilst educating vapers on the benefits of using reusable and more sustainable products.

The service is now live in the whole of our VPZ network of over 150 stores throughout the UK to all vapers.

All recycling processes will be handled by WasteCare which will be responsible for safely collecting, treating, and recovering disposable vapes and reusable hardware devices from within its plant in West Yorkshire.

We believe the innovative recycling service will help clean up local environments throughout the country whilst educating vapers on being responsible and using more sustainable vaping products.

Vapers need to be educated on the benefits of using reusable and more sustainable products

Alongside our environmental mission, we continue to call on both the UK and Scottish governments to introduce tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products.

At the moment we have a challenge in the industry where many imported, unregulated, disposable vaping products are readily available from local convenience stores, supermarkets and several other general retailers with no age verification checks or control in place.

We are urging the Scottish Government to act now and follow best practices from countries like New Zealand, where flavoured products can only be sold from specialist licensed vaping stores. Thus, ensuring that an appropriate challenge 25 policy is in place and consultation is aimed towards adult smokers and vapers.

The UK Government’s health team has stolen a march on its Scottish counterparts by announcing plans that will include local enforcement squads made up of trading standards officers to carry-out test purchases and clamp down on shops selling vapes to under-18s.

Under the progressive plans, vape starter kits will also be made available to one million smokers in an innovative ‘swap to stop’ scheme.

The plans announced by the UK Government are long overdue and a progressive move which will see targeted action on youth vaping and clearly focuses on the irresponsible retailers which are supplying to young people throughout the country.

As the country’s leading vaping retailer we have presented plans to both the UK and Scottish governments and it’s vital that we now also see positive action from the Scottish Government in tackling this issue.

Scotland showed great bravery in being the first UK nation to introduce a smoking ban in public places in 2006. However, we have dragged our heels on this important issue and are looking badly out of touch.

We urgently need a radical action plan which will restrict access to vaping products and ensure that vaping is utilised as a valuable smoking cessation tool that will help us realise our 2034 Smoke Free targets.

Doug Mutter, VPZ Director

Recycling and regulation key to the future of vaping - Doug Mutter