Vape sellers will have to pay for the disposal of the devices under plans announced by the government.
Ministers said they would “end the UK’s throwaway culture” as they revealed measures to fund the recycling of electrical waste.
Online vendors of electrical goods including microwaves and computers will have to contribute to the cost of recycling them at the end of their life, under a “polluter pays principle”.
At the moment, UK companies cover the costs associated with the collection and processing of electrical waste, which ministers said placed them at a disadvantage compared with their online rivals based abroad.
It is hoped the new measures will bring investment into recycling to stop these devices being fly-tipped into the countryside or littered on the street. Industry estimates by Material Focus, a non-profit aiming to improve electrical recycling in the UK, found more than 100,000 tonnes of electricals such as irons and microwaves were binned across the UK each year.
Levies placed on these online retailers would help improve the collection and treatment of waste items collected by local authorities or returned to retailers, and ensure there was increased investment in critical recycling infrastructure, the government said.
Companies such as Amazon will have to register with the Environment Agency and report data on sales made by their overseas sellers in the UK, and this will be used to work out how much should be charged to finance the recycling of these objects.
The circular economy minister, Mary Creagh, said: “We are committed to moving towards a circular economy in which we keep electricals from laptops to toasters in use for longer.
“Ensuring online marketplaces pay their share for managing the cost of the electrical waste they generate will increase recycling and level the playing field for UK-based retailers, boosting growth and making the system fairer through our plan for change.”
Electronics companies welcomed the change. Paula Coughlan, the chief sustainability officer at Currys, said: “We welcome this positive change that helps create a more level playing field for UK retailers. It is important that the responsibility to safely dispose of electronic waste is shared fairly, and we’re pleased the government has listened to us and other industry leaders. As well as making online marketplaces pay for the waste they create, we should be going further to set stretch targets and incentivise investment in cleaning it up too.”
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The government has introduced a new category for vapes to ensure the costs of their collection and treatment fall fairly on those who produce them.
E-cigarettes, which have become more popular in recent years, contain valuable and critical materials such as lithium and copper. Material Focus has found the amount of rare earths thrown away in the past three years could have powered more than 16,000 electric vehicles.
Scott Butler, the executive director of Material Focus, said: “We welcome the new vape category announced today, which provides a further opportunity to tighten up the environmental enforcement of vapes. By understanding how many vapes are being sold, [the government] can set targets to ensure that vape producers make their fair contribution to the costs of recycling these products.”