Vape Recycling in Manchester
Keep lithium batteries out of general waste: containers and collections for unwanted and used vapes from events, venues and shops across Manchester.
Whether refillable or disposable, a vape is a small electrical item built around a lithium battery. Put one in a general waste bin and it may be crushed at a waste facility or inside a bin lorry, which can set off a fire. So that devices are kept separate and properly treated, Skips Manchester arranges vape recycling across Manchester for organisations, venues and retailers, handled by our licensed team.
Commercial quantities are the main focus: a venue with devices left behind after events, a chain of convenience stores disposing of old stock, or a vape shop or newsagent on Wilmslow Road or Stockport Road taking customer returns. Subject to availability, retailers can be supplied with collection containers.
As there is a battery in every vape, they have to be declared when you ask for a quote – give us an approximate quantity and say if any are leaking or damaged. Contact us or use the quote form on this page.
Vape Recycling services
Why general waste is the wrong place for vapes
Strip a disposable vape down and you find a metal or plastic shell, a circuit board and a lithium battery. Crushed inside a bin lorry or compactor, that battery can short out and catch light – and battery fires in the waste stream are an increasing worry for recycling facilities and collection crews.
Your own premises are safer, too, when vapes stay out of mixed recycling and general bins: a device smouldering in a bin store in the yard or back alley can spread quickly. With separate collection, the metals and batteries are recovered instead of ending up in incineration or landfill.
Vape collection containers for shops
Customers more and more expect a place to hand back used devices, and retailers selling vapes generally carry take-back responsibilities for the electrical goods they sell. With a dedicated collection container by the till or behind the counter, returns are held safely in one contained spot until they are collected.
Subject to availability, we can provide retailers with containers and then swap or empty them on an agreed schedule or once full. Don’t allow devices to be punctured or crushed, keep the container out of direct sunlight and away from heat, and leave loose bottles of e-liquid out – tell us about those separately.
Disposing of returned or unsold stock
Single-use vapes can no longer be sold in England following the ban of June 2025, which has left some wholesalers and retailers with returned or unsold stock on their hands. Each of those units still has a lithium battery in it and still has to be handled correctly.
Let us know how the stock is packed and approximately how many cartons or units there are, and we’ll price a one-off collection. Devices gathered on site at events can be collected too – see event waste management. Other types of battery are covered under battery recycling.
What can be collected
- Disposable single-use vapes
- Mods and refillable vape kits
- Cartridges and pods
- Returned or unsold vape stock
- Vape cables and chargers
Please don’t put in vape containers
- Leaking, punctured or crushed devices, unannounced
- Loose e-liquid bottles (declare these separately)
- General waste, packaging and cigarette ends
- Loose batteries out of other equipment
Not sure? See what can go in a skip or ask us when you book.
Well suited to
- Convenience stores and newsagents
- Vape shops
- Wholesalers
- Student unions
- Clubs and bars
- Events and festivals
Vape Recycling – your questions answered
Can’t see your question? Call 0333 121 1056 or send us a message.
Why can’t disposable vapes be put in general waste?
The lithium batteries inside them can ignite if crushed at a waste facility, in a compactor or in a bin lorry. As electrical waste, vapes also need separate collection and should go to an authorised treatment facility, not in with general rubbish.
Could our shop have a vape collection container?
Yes – subject to availability, we can arrange collection containers for retailers. Give us an idea of how many devices you expect to take in and how frequently, and we’ll recommend a container and collection pattern to suit.
Can you take our unsold disposable vape stock?
Yes. Returned and unsold stock can be taken away as a one-off job. Since every unit holds a lithium battery that has to be handled safely, please declare how much there is and how it’s packed when asking for a quote.
Can vapes share a box with other batteries?
Unless we tell you otherwise, a dedicated container is the better option. Putting devices in with loose batteries can raise the risk of short circuits and makes sorting more difficult. Other battery types are covered under battery recycling.
Request your free quote – no obligation
Tell us what you need, where and when. Photos, data sheets or site plans help us price accurately – and we’ll get back to you with a competitive quote.
Skips Manchester provides skip hire, grab hire, concrete delivery, waste collection, recycling and construction support across Manchester on a same-day, next-day or wait-and-load basis.