Vaping is controversial for many reasons, including its health effects and the fact that it's been so widely marketed toward teenagers. Now, providers have somehow managed to make the problem worse. One Redditor just showed the internet a new vape product, and it's a major problem for people and the environment.
What's happening?
The picture this Redditor shared speaks for itself: It shows a hand holding a disposable vape cartridge that has its own tiny LCD screen on the front.
The Geek Bar Lush from Digiflavor features cyberpunk graphics, gauges for the amount of power and vape juice remaining, and an indicator that tells you whether you're in regular or "dynamic" mode.
"Single-use vape with LCD screen… that's gone too far," said the Redditor, who said they found the image on r/mildlyfrustrating and shared it to the r/Anticonsumption forum.
Why is a disposable LCD screen important?
The more bells and whistles a device comes with, the more the price goes up, so this unnecessarily complicated gadget is likely to waste a lot of people's money.
Plus, the tech-heavy design seems made to appeal to a young audience, once again encouraging teens to use products that may get them addicted to nicotine.
Also, LCD screens use chemicals that are terrible for the environment — and making thousands or millions of them only for them to be thrown away will cause a lot of pollution.
"As if putting rechargeable lithium batteries into single-use items wasn't already a big enough f*** you to the planet," said one frustrated commenter.
"I hate these vapes with a passion. Even the refillable ones create so much waste in the form of little plastic e-juice bottles," another user replied.
The stickers alone are a big enough source of litter to draw comments, as other Redditors have pointed out. But this new type of trash is even worse, along the lines of single-use phone chargers or sending cheap tablets in junk mail.
Is Digiflavor doing anything about this?
A Medium post titled A Comprehensive Overview About Digiflavor Geek Bar Lush said: "There are real concerns about their sustainability in terms of the environment and the amount of waste they produce. Digiflavor has committed to supporting sustainability within the vaping industry and reducing the environmental impact of its products. This is the result of the company recognizing the difficulty present."
The Geek Bar Lush is made of recyclable materials, according to the blog post, although it doesn't look like there's an easy way to separate the e-waste from the plastic or clean the item out.
The post also said that the company is looking for a way to offer rechargeable or refillable systems. However, both those things already exist.
What can I do about e-waste?
Besides avoiding especially polluting products, make sure to correctly dispose of any device that has a screen. Many stores have e-waste recycling programs and offer store credit or other rewards for your trash.
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