A parent taking their daughter to the park spotted a brightly colored piece of litter on a bench. After picking it up, they were disgusted to see that it was a disposable vape.
They posted a photo of the vape on the subreddit r/AntiConsumption. "Grabbed before my daughter could. Turns out it's disposable. What a waste of material for one use and screw people who leave these at parks," they lamented.
Fellow commenters were similarly frustrated.
"It's ridiculous the market ever decided to produce them in the first place," one person said.
The market isn't just producing vapes — it can hardly sell them quickly enough. According to research from the journal Drugs, Habits, and Social Policy, there are over 82 million vapers worldwide. In the U.S., the vast majority of those people are using disposable vapes. As of 2023, over 57% of vapes sold in the U.S. were disposable, and the rest contained disposable components like cartridges, per the CDC.
Not only do these end up as an eyesore, but they also end up contaminating the environments where they're discarded, particularly posing a risk of fire with their lithium-ion batteries. And oftentimes, they don't end up in landfills or in the recycling, but in parks, on beaches, and on streets (where they've been known to puncture tires).
"I think all vape stores should be required to have [a takeback program] and would be a good start to encouraging their recycling. (Bring in your old vape and recycle it for 2$ off your next one!)" one commenter suggested.
"My fave smokeshop in town is part of a pilot program to recycle them, so there are efforts being made!" another shared.
But for some, that pilot only addressed one aspect of the issue.
"Yeah, my local smoke shop has a box for old ones that get recycled. It's still so wasteful," another said. "Especially the cannabis ones. They have to make the packaging child-proof so there is so much plastic and materials used. I aim for brands that reduce their packaging, and use or recycle what I can."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
