WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF DISPOSABLE VAPES AND ECIGS

Making the switch to E-Cigarettes can be one of the best things you can do for you body if you are a smoker (1), and a great thing for you to do for the planet as well.

But if you are a smoker who is conscious of your environmental impact, and are looking to make the switch to e-cigarettes, then stay away from disposable e-cigarettes at all costs!

This may seem extreme, but today we are going to be looking at the impact that disposable e-cigarettes are having on the planet, and how you can make the switch to E-Cigarettes without being part of this issue.

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOBACCO?

Before we talk about disposable E-Cigarettes though, we want to make it clear, if you are still a smoker, that is also terrible for the world (2).

Although it may not seem like much, every time you smoke a cigarette, especially ones with filters in, you are damaging the ecosystem.

We went into more depth on how tobacco is hurting the planet here but to give a short version, every step of making a cigarette is actively damaging the planet. From how most tobacco is grown, to when you are smoking it, to what happens to the used filters, all negatively impacts the environment.

Growing tobacco is still a huge business, and many farmers will exclusively grow it for years and years. Tobacco plants however are a huge draw to many pests, causing the local ecosystem to fall out of kilter, and diseases to “crop” up.

To counter this most tobacco farmers will use harsh pesticides to protect their livelihood, which has the unintended effect of seriously damaging the local bee population (as bees are very susceptible to pesticides). For years now we have all known that the bee population has been dying off at an alarming rate, and tobacco is part of that problem (3).

But that’s not all, the actual smoke from cigarettes is also poisoning the air. Most smokers know that tobacco contains at least 4000 chemicals (with some notable examples being Arsenic, Lead and Cyanide) and 50+ carcinogens, but most of us never thought of where all that smoke goes.

Per cigarette the output of toxins is miniscule, but since every year there over 6 TRILLION cigarettes smoked all over the world, that does add up.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is the damage that used filters cause to the environment. As we mentioned there are thousands of chemicals in each cigarette that can not only harm you but the planet around us. Not all those chemicals though enter our bodies or are dispersed into the air, a lot of them stick in the filter.

This means that when you throw away your filter, all the chemicals stored in the filters are put into the landfill, where they start to seep out (4). This can affect the ecosystem and water in a huge area around landfill, killing animals and destroying plants.

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF DISPOSABLE VAPE BATTERIES?

Getting off cigarettes then is not only great for your health, but better for the planet as a whole. However if you are making the switch from cigarettes to disposable E-Cigarettes, then you aren’t doing the planet as big a service as you might think.

All E-Cigarettes contain a lithium-ion battery, but what makes disposable E-Cigarettes so much worse than other types of E-Cigarettes (like the POD Style) is that once you are done with your disposable e-cigarette you just throw it away.

The means that if you use 1 disposable every 2 days, in 1 month you are throwing away 15 batteries and in a year that is almost 200 batteries going into the bin.

And almost all disposable e-cigarettes, due to having not only the battery but all the electronics, can’t be recycled. This means all these are ending up in landfill.

As the batteries inside the disposable corrode, the chemicals leak into ground around it and contaminate groundwater and surface water.

Another worrying issue is that disposed lithium batteries can be very unstable, and even start fires. Unlike other types of E-Cigarette where the battery is designed for long term use, disposable e-cigarettes only have to worry about working until the liquid inside runs out, which can lead to major issues when they are thrown away.

Lithium batteries can cause landfill fires that can smoulder for years, which results in the toxic chemicals being released into the air. In fact, there has been a huge increase in the number of fires at recycling and waste centres caused by disposable vapes (5).

And what makes it worse is that the solution to this is easy, make the battery rechargeable and separate from the rest of the E-Cigarette.

By doing this, batteries aren’t being thrown away all the time and don’t end up in landfill. It also means that the batteries can be re-cycled with the other batteries properly and safely.

It’s not just better from an individual point of view either, rechargeable batteries consume less non-renewable natural resources overall than disposable batteries, simply because less need to be made.

These solutions have already been implemented, which is why the Vape POD style exists. Unlike a disposable that is one large machine, a POD style has two parts, the rechargeable battery and the actual pod (which holds the e-liquid).

By doing this the POD style batteries can be reused, and eventually be re-cycled when they stop working, completely avoiding the landfill and all those issues.

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF DISPOSABLE E-CIGARETTE PLASTIC?

As we are all very aware of now, only certain types of plastics can be re-cycled. If the plastic is too dirty or contains electronics or other materials that plastic has to be sent to the landfill.

And this is a huge issue, as every year thousands of tonnes of plastic ends up in landfill (6) and will stay there for hundreds of years. Or even worse, it gets burnt and the air and water around are filled with micro-plastic particles that are slowly clogging up the oceans and air.

This is doubly the case for any plastic that has electronics or any other materials attached to it. Having multiple types of material on one item makes it extremely hard to recycle as the individual materials must be separated before they can be recycled.

All this is to say that disposables, which are made up of a battery, plastic and electronics are almost impossible to recycle.

The POD style though is recyclable though, and that’s down to two reasons. The first is the more obvious one, the battery isn’t connected to the pod refill, meaning that you can recycle the battery as you normally would.

The actual used pods though can be more tricky, as that does contain both plastic and electronics, however here at SMOKO we are dedicated to being a carbon negative company, which is why we have found a way to recycle the pods.

2024 UPDATE - ARE DISPOSABLE VAPES BEING BANNED UK?

It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK. This is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!

Check out the new SMOKO VAPE MAX! The perfect replacement for your disposable vape when the disposable vape ban arrives in 2025 - try it for free when you buy a box of SMOKO VAPE MAX refills!

IS THERE AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY TO VAPE?

At SMOKO we are dedicated to being as environmentally minded as possible, which in this case means we found a way to recycle the pods.

recycling pods can be tricky as there are not only plastic parts, but the coil and electronics and metal inside. However we have partnered with Reconomy, one the UK's leading specialist recycling companies, to make sure our pods are not thrown into the landfill.

We also have made this whole process completely free as well! We pay all the costs for this, from the postage to send the used refills back to the actual recycling process.

But that isn’t the limit of what we are trying to do for the environment either. SMOKO has dedicated itself to be not only becoming carbon neutral, but carbon negative as well. We have adapted and changed way we do things throughout the company to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help.

One of the big ways we have done this is by focusing on UK made items. All the liquid in our Pods are proudly made in the UK, which not only means that you are getting a vape which has been tested to all current UK safety laws, but hasn’t been made or transported from China either.

Disposables on the other hand can’t say this. The vast majority will have Chinese liquid, and made in China, and shipped over to the UK.

SHOULD YOU BUY A DISPOSABLE E-CIGARETTE?

If you are at all conscious of the environment and your effect on it, then disposable E-cigs should be the last thing on your mind. From the massive waste of natural resources to the hundreds of batteries you would be throwing away each year, there is no way disposables are anything but a problem.

And that is not even mentioning the issue of all the extra plastic you would be throwing away!

Instead, if you want a hassle-free and simple way to make the switch to E-Cigarettes, and want to help the environment, consider the Vape POD range.

With batteries that can be re-charged (and then re-cycled when they are finished) and a recycling program there should be almost nothing in the SMOKO Vape POD that won’t be recycled.

So if you care about the planet and want to make the switch to an e-cigarette give the SMOKO Vape POD a try!

 

REFERENCES

(1) Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update main findings

(2) Action on Smoking and Health: Tobacco and the Environment

(3) The impact of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) farming on the survival of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Nyamakate Communal Area, northern Zimbabwe

(4) Truth Initiative: Tobacco and the environment

(5) Over 700 fires in bin lorries and recycling centres are caused by batteries many of which are hidden inside electricals

(6) House of Commons Library: Plastic Waste

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Written by Jonny Shaw

Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes.  He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service.  Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.