Should disposable vapes be banned?

Image source, Greg Brosnan

There are colorful plastic tubes on the ground if you walk down the road.

There is a boom in the popularity of disposable e-liquids. They're easy to use and inexpensive.

An activist is calling for them to be banned.

There needs to be better national schemes for recycling, according to the vape industry.

Valuable materials such as copper and plastic are included in disposable vapes, which are classified as waste electrical and electronic equipment.

They should be thrown away at a household recycling center or the shop where they were purchased.

Many aren't aware. Kate used single-use e-liquids until she stopped using them.

The disposable ones are easy to find at every corner shop. She told the news that it's hard to make the jump from a ready-to-go device to a re-usable one.

She didn't know they were recyclable and that themessaging could be improved.

She said that if the companies ran social media ads letting people know how to dispose of them it would grab our attention.

Image source, Greg Brosnan

According to a recent study, more than half of e-liquids are thrown in the trash. Material Focus says that up to 1.3 million single-use e-liquids are thrown away each week.

The batteries in these vapes are equivalent to the batteries in 1200 electric vehicles.

They aren't easy to recycle. Waste Experts, a certified WEEE recycler, says that damaged batteries can cause fires if thrown away.

• A typical disposable vape pen - designed for single-use- contains plastic, copper and lithium

• Under UK laws they must contain 2ml of e-liquid (or 600 'puffs') and a maximum of 2% nicotine

• They are classed as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), which puts them in the same category as large electronic goods such as kettles
• Doctors say children are being targeted by e-cigarette companies, with bright packaging, exotic flavours and enticing names. The long-term health effects of vaping are unknown

Laura Young is calling for a ban on disposable e-liquids.

Laura is a PHD student and climate activist.

People don't know what's inside a disposable e-liquid. She says that people are surprised to find a battery inside.

Image source, Laura Young

Material Focus wants manufacturers and retailers to put collection points inside shops to make it easier to recycle.

If you buy a disposable e-liquid in a large shop, you'll be able to recycle it for free, even if you didn't buy it in that shop.

Smaller retailers are obliged to finance the collection and treatment of products when they become waste.

There is a misunderstanding in the industry about who is responsible for disposal and there is genuine confusion in the marketplace with respect to the WEEE regulations.

Elfbar, one of the leading manufacturers of e-liquids, told the British Broadcasting Corporation that it is aware of the environmental implications of the rapid growth of the market.

The problem will be solved by introducing recycling boxes for retailers to use.

"We are placing a lot of importance on the future design of our products so that they have a longer shelf life rather than being single use," it said.

Geekbar was one of the popular companies.

The chair of the UK Vape Industry Association suggested that the regulations are not clear when asked about the environmental problem of disposable Vape.

"You have to dig deep into the regulations to find any mention of e-cigarettes which could be down to the fact that when they were introduced at the beginning of the year, disposable vapes were very much in their infancy," said John.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs should clarify the rules, regulations and obligations of the industry.

The government will set out plans for reform of the WEEE regulations in the future.

You should be able to recycle a disposable pen at a number of places. Here, you can find your nearest centre.