E-cigarettes seem to generate their own bad press nowadays. Some say they are ‘better than the real thing’ while others warn of their batteries exploding next to smokers’ faces. The Conversation highlighted another concern. Are disposable e-cigarettes a recycling disaster of a magnitude similar to capsule coffee and cigarette butts? Their research uncovers many e-cigarette users throw them away carelessly.
Disposable E-Cigarettes are Single-Use Throwaway Products
“Both butts and capsules are intentionally designed to be convenient, single-use products,” The Conversation points out. Moreover, they are non-biodegradable and don’t recycle. However the e-waste from disposable e-cigarettes could become an even greater environmental disaster.
The Conversation’s reporter Yogi H. Hendlin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at University of California. His background in environmental philosophy and public health caused him to wonder how the e-cigarette waste stream works. Apparently there is no direct regulation of the vape industry.
Is DisruptionWorse Than The Real Thing Looming
Reading on, we discover two-thirds of cigarette butts become garbage. They clog sewer drains, blight city parks and cost approximately US$11 billion to clean up yearly in the U.S. alone. However, their supposedly less harmful alternative, disposable e-cigarettes are potentially even more disruptive.
That’s because they represent two serious bio-hazard risks. In the first instance they contain residual nicotine (a potential poison). And secondly they are electronic waste someone must deal with. However, their instructions seldom provide advice regarding responsible disposal according to The Conversation. As a consequence they can leach metals, battery acid and nicotine into the urban landscape.
There are no facilities for responsibly disposing e-cigarettes anywhere we have seen. With over 60 million selling annually in the U.S. alone we appear to face an environmental disaster as great as single-use batteries. We ought not to sit back and do nothing. It is time the Office on Smoking and Health took a lead on this issue.
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Preview Image: Nicotiana Rustica, Aztec Tobacco
