No, you should never put vape batteries, coils or pods in your general waste bin. Look out for the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol, which should appear on all of these products.

Items with this symbol are classified under UK law as WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment), which means they must be disposed of and ideally recycled at specific locations; do not throw away vapes in the normal bin.

They contain harmful chemicals and can be a serious fire risk if sent to a landfill, and precious metals used in their components cannot be recovered and reused.

Yes, just like vape batteries, vape coils are classed as WEEE and often feature the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. This means they should be recycled in the same way.

You can drop them in e-waste bins at many retail locations around the UK, or at local council recycling centres.

Do not throw away vape coils in your normal bin.

Yes, vape pods, both with built-in and removable coils, can be recycled.

Like vape batteries and vape coils, they are classified as WEEE, and feature the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. This means they must be disposed of in the same e-waste bins or recycling centres across the UK.

Do not throw away vape pods in your normal bin.

Disposable vapes are treated like any other vape device/equipment under WEEE regulations, and carry the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol.

This means they should only be discarded in e-waste bins or local recycling centres.

As disposable vapes are most often a single, sealed unit, they should be placed in the appropriate recycling bins whole. Do not try to open them up to separate components.

Disposable vapes are increasingly rare in the UK since their official ban in June 2025, but many people are still using up old stock purchased before this ban took effect.

If you are still using disposable vapes, it is very important that you dispose of them responsibly, to minimise the damage they have already done to the environment at their peak of popularity.

Yes, even swollen or damaged vape batteries can be recycled. You must treat them with extreme caution, however, as they pose a major fire risk. You must never put a damaged battery in household rubbish.

How To Handle & Recycle A Damaged Vape Battery:

1. Never use it: Stop using the device immediately.
2. Isolate it: Place the damaged battery in a non-flammable container, such as a metal box or, if possible, something filled with dry sand. Keep it outdoors or in a well-ventilated area away from children, pets and combustible materials.
3. Tape the terminals: If you can, place a piece of non-conductive tape (like electrical tape) over the battery's contact points to prevent sparking.
4. Do not dismantle: If the battery is built-in (like most modern pod vape kits), do not attempt to pry it open.
5. Take it to a facility: As soon as you are able, take the isolated battery straight to a designated local recycling centre. Do not drop damaged batteries in e-waste bins at supermarkets or retail locations, as these are only for intact batteries.

To safely dispose of your damaged battery, use the Recycle Your Electricals locator to find the nearest recycling point that accepts hazardous and damaged lithium-ion batteries in your area.

Yes, you can recycle your e-liquid bottles.

Unlike vape batteries, pods and coils, e-liquid bottles are not classed as WEEE, which means you can recycle them at home.

Almost all e-liquid bottles are made from PET, HDPE, or LDPE plastics, which are widely recyclable.

To recycle an e-liquid bottle at home, there are some important steps you must follow to do so correctly:

1. Disposing of leftover e-liquid

• You must never pour waste vape juice down your household drain. The flavour chemicals and nicotine content can contaminate water treatment systems, damage your pipes, and harm aquatic life.
• Instead, soak up leftover e-liquid using paper towels or rags.
• You can then throw the saturated towels/rags in your general waste bin.

2. Preparing your bottles

• Make sure the bottle is completely empty.
• Rinse the bottle with warm water.
• Remove the cap, tamper-evident ring, and nozzle/nib - these are most often made from mixed plastics that can only be thrown away in your general waste, not recycling.

3. Recycle Your Bottle

• Once all the above steps have been completed, you can now safely throw your old e-liquid bottle in your plastic/mixed recycling bin.

Don't forget:
Local councils do not all have the same rules when it comes to recycling. There can be a lot of variation in which bins to use, and what can and cannot be collected and processed.

Click here to visit the UK Gov page that can help you check your local council's recycling policies.

Unfortunately, no, we do not accept, nor do we have the facilities to process returned e-waste like vape batteries, pods and coils.

Under UK law, we are classed as a small distributor. This is because we only sell our products online, not in physical stores.

This means, instead of providing a take-back service ourselves, we are registered with the UK Gov's official Distributor Take-Back Scheme (DTS).

We pay an annual fee to the Government via the DTS that covers our e-waste (WEEE) obligations each year. This money goes towards supporting local council recycling centres that you must use to recycle your vape-related e-waste.

Through the DTS, and our environmental compliance partner, Beyondly, LiQuid fully complies with all WEEE and WBAR regulations.

Our only legal obligation beyond this is to provide clear guidance for our customers on where/how to safely recycle WEEE themselves - which is why this page exists.