This May, Green Wings Project returned to Vaper Expo UK 2025 at NEC Birmingham for our 4th exhibition. Over 3 days, we connected with hundreds of industry professionals, retailers, and vapers, all curious (and often concerned) about the environmental future of their industry.

Rising to Meet a Turning Point: The June 2025 Ban

The UK Government has officially announced that the sale and supply of disposable, single-use vapes will be banned starting 1 June 2025. This landmark decision follows years of campaigning from health, youth, and environmental advocates, and acknowledges the mounting damage these products cause to our air, water, and soil.

While we welcome this policy shift, we also know legislation alone won’t solve the vape waste crisis. Disposables already on shelves will still need to be dealt with safely, and millions more remain in circulation. This is where we step in.

Launching a New Model for Vape Recycling

In anticipation of the changes after Jun. 1^st, Green Wings Project is now rolling out a structured on-site collection model, which initially is available only to London and Southern England. Our ambition is to roll out to other parts of the UK, but we recognise this will take time. This new system replaces our previous postal return model and offers a more scalable and fully Environment Agency-compliant service.

We now offer:

– One-off, weekly, monthly, or quarterly collections

– Transparent pricing based on weight and mileage

– Optional vermiculite and container add-ons for safer handling

📧 To book, email: info@greenwingsproject.org

This new direction will allow us to process higher volumes responsibly, ensure safe e-waste disposal, and work more closely with businesses and councils preparing for post-ban compliance. In the meantime, those who are outside of London and/or in the North East with disposable vapes are encouraged to use alternative methods, including commercial recycling enterprises.

Our pricing scheme is based strictly on operational costs: fuel, staffing, compliant waste handling, safety measures (e.g. vermiculite and sealed storage), and Environment Agency requirements. We do not profit from these charges—they simply help us sustain and scale our charitable operations. We are still a non-profit, registered charity dedicated to public and environmental benefit. Charging for core services ensures we can continue delivering our mission in the long term.

We have strived to keep our rates as affordable as possible, especially for small businesses and community organisations who would otherwise struggle to afford commercial rates. We are not aiming to compete with commercial operators, our aim is to fill a gap—to provide socially responsible recycling solutions where commercial take up is low, and to advocate for industry-wide environmental change.

Why It Matters

Disposable vapes may be small, but their impact is massive. Containing toxic lithium, non-recyclable plastics, and residual nicotine, they pose serious threats to ecosystems when improperly discarded. At Vaper Expo UK, the urgency was palpable. Retailers, distributors, and even casual users asked: “What do we do now?” Green Wings Project is proud to be part of that answer. We’re a registered charity powered by a small team of staff, volunteers, and advocates. As we shift into this new phase—especially under tighter regulations—we need your help to keep our services fair, accessible, and scalable.

Looking Forward

From Expo halls to policy meetings, bin dispatches to research briefs, Green Wings Project continues to be at the frontline of vape waste reform. We’re proud to be making waves, but more than that—we’re here to build infrastructure for the long haul.

The June 2025 ban is not the end. It’s the beginning of something better.

About Green Wings Project

Established in 2022, Green Wings Project is a charity organisation aiming to promote, for the benefit of the public, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment through promoting, identifying and advancing solutions for recycling, reuse and harmless disposal of disposable / single-use electronic products. Currently, we are running a focused initiative on disposable vape recycling.

For further information and collaborations, contact us via info@greenwingsproject.org; consider DONATING via this link to keep our pro bono service running.