Vaping has been on the rise in recent years as many look towards quitting smoking. This is a good stepping stone to being smoke free, however as vaping has risen in popularity, so has “disposable” vapes. This is creating significant environmental issues:

• As of 2017, there were 565 types of e-cigarette devices on the market, 184 of which were disposable or single-use
• Users in the UK are throwing away around 2 disposable vapes every second; that’s 1.3 million a week. The number of discarded vapes accounts for around 10 tonnes of lithium being sent to landfill or waste incinerators each year – enough metal to make batteries for 1,200 electric cars
• ‘Zombie’ batteries have been found to cause hundreds of fires a year at recycling plants after being thrown away incorrectly (disposable vapes would be classed in this group)
• If littered, these create extremely toxic waste which can be harmful to children, pets, and wildlife as the battery may be damaged and leak chemical