If you’re an eco-conscious vaper who’s worried about the potential toll your vape products are taking on the environment then chances are you’re keen to dispose of or recycle them properly.
Whether it’s disposables and their potentially hazardous battery components, metal/glass tanks or plastic e-liquid bottles, vape products are made from a number of materials that could pose a risk to not only the environment but anyone who comes across them.
According to Greenpeace, the number of disposables being thrown away each year could fill 22 football pitches, while they also use up precious resources that are needed for other purposes.
That’s why it’s important to dispose of or recycle your vape products properly. If you’re unsure how, here we’ll go over the ins and outs, covering each vape product and how you should dispose of them, helping to keep yourself and the planet safe.
How to Dispose or Recycle Disposables Vapes
Disposable vapes are quite basic devices that contain only a few components. Most single-use kits have just a plastic shell, a battery, a small tank where the liquid is stored, a cotton wick and a coil.
Although disposable vapes are made with convenience in mind, these kits aren’t the most environmentally friendly. This is because the components are built-in, meaning they can’t be replaced. Moreover, the materials used to make these devices are also quite difficult to recycle.
If time’s a squeeze, a good method for ensuring safe disposal of your disposable vapes is to store them securely until you’ve built up a sizable amount. Once you’ve gathered a substantial batch of used vapes, drop them off at your local recycling centre, where they’ll handle the disposal for you.
If you’ve got more time and a keen interest in making an impact, there’s an option to disassemble the materials and recycle them independently. To do so, you’ll need to dismantle the device and separate its internal materials, which are all eligible for individual recycling.
A gentle reminder before you commence: handling the battery can pose risks, so exercise extra caution and wear protective gloves.
You’ll need to open the device. How you manage this will depend on the kit you’re using but there should be a removable component that grants access to its internal parts. Once inside, extract the battery, and cotton and detach the plastic or glass e-liquid tank and they’re ready to recycle.
How to Dispose or Recycle E-Liquid Bottles
E-liquid bottles are by far the most straightforward vape product to recycle. As they’re made from plastic, you can simply recycle them with your regular bottles.
To make life easier for the workers at your local recycling centre, give them a quick wash with some warm, soapy water before you dispose of them. Then just pop them in the bin and you’ve done your bit for the planet!
How to Dispose or Recycle Vape Tanks
In truth, a good-quality vape tank should last you quite a while if it’s looked after properly. However, eventually, it’ll need replacing, and when this comes you may wish to recycle it rather than just throwing it straight into the bin.
How you choose to dispose of your vape tank will ultimately depend on the material it’s made out of.
Most tanks are made from either plastic or glass, so depending on what tank you have, you can either dispose of this in your glass or plastic bin. If your bin takes both glass and plastic then happy days as this will simplify the process for you!
How to Dispose or Recycle Vape Mods
When a vape mod comes to the end of its lifecycle, this is one device that definitely should be recycled.
With both a chipset and a battery, a vape mod serves as the device’s brain and source of power, and both of these components will need to be disposed of properly.
The body of the mod will usually be made of plastic or metal, while the battery will be made from lithium, carbon and metal. None of these parts can be recycled at home, so they’ll need to be recycled at one of your local e-waste sites.
Reduce Your Impact On The Environment While Vaping
When it comes to being a responsible vaper, there are several steps you can take to ensure your impact on the planet is minimised.
The first and most obvious is to follow the guidance on recycling and disposing of your vape products that we’ve offered here.
The next step would be to potentially switch from disposables completely and instead use a refillable device. This will significantly reduce your footprint as refillable devices are by far the greener choice.
Lastly, reducing the amount you vape and not using your device unnecessarily will mean you go through less coils, e-liquids and bottles. This will have a surprisingly substantial effect and it’ll also save you money, which is always a bonus!
Vaping Vs Smoking and Its Impact on the Environment
The last point we’d like to add is that while vaping can take its toll on the environment if steps aren’t taken to minimise its impact, if you’re using an e-cig to replace combustible cigarettes, then you’re making a positive switch.
You see, while vaping isn’t great for the planet, neither are cigarettes which are actually worse. Firstly, the production and distribution of cigarettes involve intensive farming practices, which result in deforestation, soil degradation and huge water consumption.
Secondly, cigarette butts are the most prevalent form of litter globally. In the UK alone, it’s estimated a mind-boggling 200 million cigarettes are thrown away each day. These pollute waterways and soil while also posing a severe hazard to wildlife.
Lastly, smoking contributes to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, further escalating environmental degradation.
Overall, smoking has a profound and damaging impact on the planet for multiple reasons, so if you’re switching from smoking to vaping and you dispose of your vape products responsibly, this is an environmentally friendly decision that you’re making.
So that’s how to dispose of and recycle your vape products. If you’re an eco-conscious vaper who’s keen to reduce their impact on the planet then following the advice given here should help you do just that.
