Disposable vape pens pose environmental threat, fire risk

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. ( KDVR ) — While most people know about the health risks related to vaping and e-cigarette use, many may not know about the risks to the environment.

Single-use vape pens are marketed as disposable, but that’s only true if you do it properly. Some of them come with instructions inside the box, but they are written on tiny pieces of paper with very fine print, which is likely not being read and can ultimately lead to dangerous situations.

It’s the lithium-ion batteries inside vape pens that can cause serious fires like trash truck fires or fires at recycling facilities. Trash truck drivers are forced to dump their loads if they catch fire to avoid a more dangerous situation.

When it comes to e-cigarettes, Truth Initiative said the waste is potentially a more serious environmental threat than cigarette butts since e-cigarettes introduce plastic, nicotine salts, heavy metals, lead, mercury and flammable lithium-ion batteries into waterways, soil and to wildlife.

“It’s definitely a recurring thing. I’m sure every recycling plant across the nation has seen a couple of fires a year from some little embedded battery,” said Shelly Fuller, the hazardous materials program manager for Boulder County.

With the word disposable, it may seem like you can just throw it in the trash. According to a study done by Truth Initiative , more than 51% of young people do exactly that.

These fires are becoming more and more common, according to Boulder County hazardous waste staff members. Fuller witnessed a fire herself at the recycling plant next door to her office and was worried about her safety.

“One day I was in my office, and I could see flames coming from the recycling center and it was likely from one of these disposable devices with a battery in it that had just caught on fire. The loader had hit that battery in the right spot and sparked with all the other combustible materials that we have, like paper newspaper, cardboard,” Fuller said.  “[After a fire,] hopefully we can still recycle some of those materials that are water damaged and if it’s too damaged, they probably have to throw that into the trash and now we’re paying for trash instead of a recycling commodity. Then the staff has to redo everything, so there’s a huge impact on the labor, the facility, and everything that happens all from one tiny little battery that caused a fire.”

Many say e-cigarette manufacturers don’t provide consumers with guidance about appropriate disposal methods or have misinformation.

Fuller encourages manufacturers to make the battery is removable with a household tool, so it’s easier to separate from regular trash.

“For single-use devices, they are unfortunately not being recycled because they have two hazards. They’ve got nicotine as one hazard and then they’ve got a battery as a fire hazard. So, it’s difficult to separate those waste streams from each other when it’s all into one small unit. So, unfortunately, [disposable vape pens] are just being sent for incineration, but at least they’re being sent off for proper disposal and not causing a fire in some local trash truck or recycling plant here in town,” Fuller said.

The hazardous waste disposal practices are different in every county, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has a list of collection programs in each county .

Boulder County has a vape-aware program that promotes safe, free places to dispose of these devices. You can drop off your used vape at any of the partnering locations. The programs are usually at vape shops around the Boulder County area, including Superior, Louisville area and Lafayette. A full map can be found on Boulder County’s website.

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