A new category of electrical waste has been created specifically for used vapes.
The government announced that electronic cigarettes would be treated as a discrete refuse-stream under producer responsibility laws.
Ministers said this was designed to ensure the costs of their collection and treatment “fall fairly on those who produce them”.
Vapes contain valuable materials such as lithium and copper, with research by not-for-profit body Material Focus suggesting those binned each year could power 10,000 electric vehicles.
Meanwhile fire chiefs and council officials in Lincolnshire said disposable vapes had sparked more than 60 blazes at just one waste processing plant last year.
Material Focus executive director Scott Butler 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.”
It became illegal to supply disposable e-cigarettes in the UK on 1 June this year as ministers moved to slash waste and reduce fire risk.
