VAPING NEWS: DISPOSABLE WASTE

“Among environmental advocates the increasingly popular products pose another challenge — how to get rid of them after they’re used. E-cigarettes and pods for e-cigarettes or vapes can be both hazardous and electronic waste — depending on the product — and the plastic poses the same concerns as other plastic products that can add to overall waste and break down into microplastics that harm ocean ecosystems. There’s very little data available about e-cigarette waste, but Jeremiah Mock, an associate professor who researches tobacco use at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a study surveying high schools in the San Francisco area and the kind of waste found around the building. He said the nicotine residue, liquid and flavor in the cartridge or device could pose environmental concerns as well as the plastic itself as it degrades. The lithium ion batteries in electronics can also pose a fire risk in waste and recycling facilities, causing expensive damage and putting workers’ safety at risk. “Now we have the fourth generation of devices with built-in lithium ion batteries that, you know, people are told by the manufacturer is disposable, it’s the thrown in the garbage or wherever. You know, there’s no, there’s no information about how to dispose of them properly,” Mock said.”

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E-cigarettes highlight the challenges of dealing with plastic waste