On average at Veolia, we encounter one fire every day in our collection vehicles and facilities across the UK, highlighting the severe risk posed by incorrectly disposed items such as e-bikes, vapes, and portable devices.
This is a continuously growing safety hazard, putting people in danger. Something has to change.
What is WEEE?
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) refers to all end-of-life equipment which has a battery or plug, such as TVs, kettles, e-bikes, portable devices and vapes. In 2024, the independent not-for-profit organisation, Material Focus, discovered that over 8 million single-use vapes were being thrown away every week.
The lithium-ion batteries in WEEE can become extremely flammable when they are crushed. This causes problems in collection vehicles, which crush recycling and waste during their rounds to make space, and during the sorting process at a Materials Recovery Facility, where these items can easily become damaged. This issue can be further compounded by the presence of nitrous oxide (NOS) canisters in waste streams.
The growing safety hazard caused by the incorrect disposal of these items not only endangers frontline operatives and damages infrastructure, but is also incurring significant shutdown costs and escalating insurance premiums across the waste management sector. With lithium batteries and Nitrous Oxide canisters increasingly found in general waste and recycling, and the UK experiencing a higher rate of battery-related fires compared to other European countries, Veolia is calling for urgent reform. This includes enhanced collection systems, stricter regulations, and better public awareness to keep these hazardous items out of regular waste streams.
What regulations are already in place?
VAPES:
Due to the soaring popularity of vapes, which reached critical levels when almost eight single-use vapes were being thrown away per second, the UK Government announced a ban on 24th October 2024.
The ban which applies to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will come into effect on 1 June 2025 and will include all single-use vapes – whether or not they include nicotine – for sale in both shops and online. Reusable vapes will still be legal but they must be either rechargeable or refillable. If the vape has a coil for vaporising the e-liquid, it must be one that can be replaced by the average consumer as opposed to needing specialist repairs.
WEEE:
The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations are aimed at increasing sustainable management of electrical waste; many businesses have been obligated under this legislation since 2007.
- If you’re unsure whether your business is obligated, do any of the following apply to you?
- Are you a manufacturer of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), selling under your own brand in the UK?
- Are you a professional importer introducing EEE to the UK market (including distance selling)?
- Are you a business based in the UK selling EEE manufactured by a third party under your own brand?
- Are you a distributor, retailer or wholesaler of EEE?
If the answer is yes to any of the above, then you are obligated under the regulations.
What this means for you:
- All obligated businesses are required to join a compliance scheme and supply their unique registration numbers to retailers as proof of membership. If you place Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) on the market for the first time, you must join a compliance scheme to meet your legal obligations.
- Under the WEEE Regulations, you are legally obligated to take back for recycling the equivalent tonnage of electrical items you sell, free of charge to the consumer, or join a compliance scheme (PCS) to contribute to national electrical collection and recycling.
- As a distributor, you must mark new products with the WEEE symbol (the crossed out wheelie bin), along with providing information on treatment facilities where end users can recycle their products.
What needs to happen next for WEEE Regulations in the UK?
Despite the UK's Producer Responsibility scheme for electronic waste management, the recycling rate of WEEE remains at just 57%.
This means valuable materials, including critical minerals such as copper, lithium and cobalt, essential for renewable technologies, are being lost to the waste stream. With global demand for these materials rising, driven by corporate Environmental Social Governance (ESG) commitments and the global clean energy transition, there's a pressing need to improve recovery rates.
Veolia is calling for government action on several fronts. Our key proposals include:
Implementing a mandatory producer/importer levy for batteries.
Following the 'polluter pays' principle, a mandatory levy on battery producers and importers would be an essential funding mechanism for building the national infrastructure to address the crisis. Australia's Battery Stewardship Council has already delivered a successful model, achieving significant improvements in collection and recycling rates.
For success in the UK, the levy must encourage both public and private investment for accredited collectors, treaters and recyclers, ensuring those who profit from battery sales contribute directly to their safe disposal.
Introduce minimum recycled content levels in industrial and electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Establishing minimum recycled content requirements for industrial and EV batteries is crucial for driving sustainable manufacturing. Following the EU's lead, which mandates recycled content targets from 2030, the UK needs similar requirements that increase over time. This would create an equitable market for recycled critical minerals while ensuring manufacturers have a clear pathway to transition towards more sustainable production, reducing dependence on virgin materials.
Short term strengthening of WEEE Regulations and the long term introduction of kerbside collections for small mixed WEEE and domestic batteries.
Immediate strengthening of WEEE regulations is essential, particularly for online marketplaces where enforcement has generally been weak. Retailers must face tougher penalties for non-compliance and be required to actively promote their takeback services. With many consumers unaware of their return rights, enhanced enforcement and transparency would ensure all retailers contribute fairly to responsible electronics recycling.
In the longer term, it is clear that nationwide kerbside collections of small WEEE and domestic batteries, funded by producers, importers and polluters, is the policy driver needed to transform recycling rates, making responsible disposal convenient for every household. According to a new report, carried out by Eunomia on behalf of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), this change could save the UK £6 billion over the next 10 years. Veolia supports the necessary transition to collections, but they must be managed carefully to allow the industry time to develop safe and effective collection and sorting processes and would recommend on-demand or dedicated collections as the best way forward.
As a company committed to improving recycling rates and material retention, Veolia strongly supports the development of robust policies that will both reduce fire risk and help create a more sustainable, circular economy for critical minerals.
How Can Veolia Help You Tackle WEEE?
The Veolia WEEE Compliance Scheme incorporates a variety of initiatives, all of which are designed to increase recycling rates and ensure your business is compliant and sustainable. These include:
- WEEE Bring Banks located across communities,
- Dedicated collections and
- Vape recycling.
We understand that there is no 'one size fits all' approach so we can tailor our services to suit the needs of your business or organisation. For example, we offer a variety of containers to provide on-site storage solutions for take-back items, along with individual services such as portable battery compliance.
Most importantly, we guarantee complete peace of mind that your waste won't end up in the wrong hands. We work with the Environment Agency to control illegal exports, and our policy is to only work with treatment operators who hold a valid Approved & Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) licence.