Nearly half a million vapes are thrown out in the U.S. every single day.
What's happening?
According to a report by Fast Company based on research by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Americans threw out 5.7 disposable vapes a second in 2023, up from 4.5 vapes a second in 2022.
The Designed to Last campaign director with PIRG, Lucas Gutterman, described vape waste as "particularly insidious," due to the plastic, nicotine, and lithium-ion batteries that end up in a landfill.
Why does vaping have such a negative impact?
Any waste on such a large scale is bound to cause issues for communities, animals, and the planet, but vape waste is harmful on multiple levels.
Environment America Research & Policy Center's oceans campaign director, Kelsey Lamp, commented per Fast Company, "[Vapes are] hazardous waste, since they contain nicotine and heavy metals; they're electronic waste with batteries and circuits; and they're plastic waste that never biodegrades."
She also added, "Our oceans are already under pressure from rising temperatures, overfishing, and land-based pollution. We cannot afford to add this entirely preventable source of toxic waste to the mix."
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These candy-colored devices are commonly found discarded in public places and beauty spots, and they're a massive eyesore, as well as a choking hazard for dogs and other animals. The Surfrider Foundation found a 150% increase in vapes among litter on beaches in just three years, from 2021 to 2024.
When vapes are disposed of instead of just thrown on the ground, they can cause fires in recycling and waste facilities. According to the PIRG report, "disposable vapes cause $95 million of damage from waste facility fires each year."
Further, vapes use lithium-ion batteries, which require mining. Lithium-ion mining is linked with serious human rights abuses, such as modern slavery, forced eviction, sexual assault, arson, and beatings, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Amnesty International.
Nearly 30 tons of lithium is used per year to make disposable vapes, which is the same amount needed to create 3,350 batteries for electric vehicles.
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Majorly 😥 Vapes contain nicotine, making them highly addictive, carcinogenic, and damaging to brain development.
As if the situation wasn't dire enough, smoking e-cigarettes and vapes is massively popular with children, with 1.63 million high school and middle school students in the U.S. smoking them, according to the CDC.
What's being done about vape waste?
If you vape, consider using refillable or rechargeable options to reduce your waste, cutting down, or quitting altogether.
There has been some legislation against disposable vapes, which is leading to massive reductions in sales. For example, since January 1, 2025, California has banned flavored tobacco products, which according to Fast Company has led to a 52% decrease in disposable vape sales. A similar flavored e-cigarette sales ban in Massachusetts saw a 74% sales drop.
Along with further legislation, the awareness of the harm disposable vapes can cause needs to become more widespread.
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