Amazon and eBay to pay 'fair share' for vape recycling

Online marketplaces specified arsenic Amazon and eBay volition person to wage their "fair share" of recycling electrical discarded nether caller authorities proposals.

Circular system curate Mary Creagh said planned reforms would make a "level playing field" for electronics producers by putting much onus connected planetary retailers to lend to recycling costs.

Some overseas sellers person been capable to debar this complaint by selling via online marketplaces, leaving UK-based firms specified arsenic Currys to ft overmuch of the bill.

Firms which nutrient e-cigarettes volition besides beryllium asked to wage more, with the plans not coming into enactment until January, 2026.

In 2023, the UN estimated 844 cardinal vapes are thrown distant each twelvemonth - though it said "77 times more" e-waste is generated from unwanted toys.

"Under these caller plans, online marketplaces – Amazon, eBay and others – volition look overmuch tougher obligations to guarantee that overseas sellers who usage their platforms lend to that outgo of postulation and recycling," Creagh told PA News.

Amazon told BBC News it is "committed to minimising discarded and helping our customers to reuse, repair, and recycle their products". It says it offers customers escaped recycling options including location pick-up via its website.

Other large online marketplaces eBay, Temu and Euronics person not commented yet.

The plans volition bring an extremity to vapes being categorised alongside toys, leisure and sports instrumentality for recycling purposes.

Instead, a caller class for e-waste specifically from vapes volition beryllium introduced.

UK non-profit Material Focus estimates 5 cardinal vapes are either littered oregon thrown distant successful wide discarded each week successful the UK.

And it estimates British households propulsion distant implicit 100,000 tonnes of smaller household electrical items, specified arsenic kettles and lamps each year.

The authorities volition besides necessitate online marketplaces to registry with the UK's Environment Agency and study UK income from their overseas sellers.

This information volition beryllium utilized to cipher the fiscal publication the online marketplaces indispensable marque towards the costs of recycling e-waste.

The UK authorities said the caller obligations volition beryllium enforced by the Environment Agency and equivalent regulators successful Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The authorities says the determination volition assistance money recycling services.

"We invited the government's caller measures to assistance level the playing tract for work for waste, making online marketplaces bash their part," said Currys brag Alex Baldock.

"Low value, debased prime and unsustainable tech is piling up successful landfills, and it's bully to spot authorities doing thing to tackle that."

Additional reporting by Liv McMahon