Ryan Fogelman is on a mission to increase fire awareness in North America. His January 2025 report in LinkedIn, contains several warnings we thought we should share. Ryan notes that lithium-ion battery fires in vapes are causing statistics to spike. He partly blames the improper disposal of used vapes for what is happening across our continent.
Shining a Light on The Improper Disposal of Used Vapes
The LinkedIn article cites a recent study by lobby group Material Focus. Their data summarizes the situation in the United Kingdom, which Ryan later uses to estimate the situation in North America. The information suggests UK residents purchase an average 13.5 million vapes, including lithium-ion batteries every week:
- Users ‘improperly discard or recycle’ some 8.2 million of these vapes in the UK.
- Some 77% of UK vapers appear to be unsure what to do with their used vapes.
- Improper disposal of used vapes contributed to 1,200 fires at UK recycling plants in 2024.
Ryan extrapolates this data to North America, using a basic population equivalent. He concludes that an estimated 48 million vapes (and their lithium-ion batteries) are incorrectly discarded or recycled in the United States and Canada every week.
This data confirms the improper disposal of used vapes to a greater degree than we expected. Could this be time to hold manufacturers and suppliers accountable for the costs?
Are Vapers Contributing Significantly to Fires?
The UK Material Focus study also unearthed the following data:
- U.K. adults purchase approximately 30 million vapes every month.
- Only 17% of vapers recycle their vapes in appropriate recycling bins.
“Using my simple population estimate,” Ryan continues. “The U.K. has about one-sixth of the population of the U.S. and Canada, meaning that about 24 million vapes are improperly disposed of weekly across North America. This equates to a staggering total of about 1.2 billion vapes annually.”
More Information
Call for Deposits on Vapes in Netherlands
Vape Battery Waste More Than Smoke
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