For years, the debate surrounding vaping largely centered on its risks for high school and middle school students enticed by flavors like gummy bear, lemonade and watermelon.

But the recent shift toward e-cigarettes that can’t be refilled has created a new environmental dilemma. The devices, which contain nicotine, lithium and other metals, cannot be reused or recycled. Under federal environmental law, they also aren’t supposed to go in the trash.

U.S. teens and adults are buying roughly 12 million disposable vapes per month. With little federal guidance, local officials are finding their own ways to dispose of e-cigarettes collected from schools, colleges, vape shops and other sites.

  • who8mydamnoreos@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Deposits work for my milk bottles they could work for vapes if you made them high enough. Also another barrier to kids accessing them if they have to pay a deposit every time.

    • Sheik@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Should just ban disposable vapes imo. They only get people into vaping, they don’t help quitting smoking cigarettes better that reusable vapes.

      • who8mydamnoreos@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        People hate bans on things though; the hassle of being forced to properly dispose of the devices would be enough discouragement to lessen the amount of providers.

  • Kache@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Sounds like an externality that should be paid for as these things are manufactured

  • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’ll tell you what happens to them: they get thrown in the trash. If we’re lucky. These things are littered everywhere. Put a $2 deposit on each one and set up places to return them for the deposit return. They’re disgusting. If that’s not enough, increase the deposit. If people don’t like it, at least it will drive them to use those stupid looking ones that look like someone’s fellating a walkie-talkie.

  • PaupersSerenade@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I don’t have a solution for this. I vape, and have done for a while. It’s just easier, cheaper, and nicer than smoking a stick. I’ve stuck with Smok products for the majority of it, and those use refillable tanks. Tanks were how it was always done, but now when I take a ‘smoke’ break, most of the adults have those stupid pods. I used one as a stop gap when my main device got lost on a trip and its corpse is still sitting on my desk. /rant