Call for Ban on Disposable E-Cigarettes in Germany

According to Recyclingportal's report on July 2nd, the German Waste Management Association (BDE), German Environmental Aid Organization (DUH), German Federal Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), and other social organizations, including the German Children's Fund (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk), have jointly written an open letter urging Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke to quickly ban disposable e-cigarettes nationwide.

BDE President Anja Siegesmund stated that

Disposable e-cigarettes are designed to be discarded after use: after a period of time, they are thrown away in trash cans, cardboard boxes, yellow garbage bags, or elsewhere. This is extremely dangerous because the lithium-ion batteries inside are easily prone to causing fires. Almost every day, garbage trucks or recycling facilities catch on fire, sometimes resulting in significant losses. Without effective measures in place, proper disposal methods are at risk. Therefore, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned as they not only contribute to resource waste but also cause significant damage.

Barbara Metz, National Executive Director of the German Environmental Aid organization (DUH), stated that

Disposable e-cigarettes are a completely unnecessary and environmentally harmful product that nobody needs, and should be banned. In particular, their production and disposal can result in significant environmental damage. Disposable e-cigarettes contain key materials such as lithium, cobalt, or copper, the mining of which can cause harm to nature and consume large amounts of water resources. The production of high-performance batteries also results in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Disposable e-cigarettes have a short lifespan, becoming electronic waste after just one use. Furthermore, these products are often improperly disposed of, leading to valuable materials being unable to be recycled. We call on Federal Environmental Minister Stefie Leimke to implement a ban on disposable e-cigarettes in the revision of the current Electronic Law.

The President of the German Medical Association, Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, stated that

The flavors and packaging design of disposable e-cigarettes are particularly appealing to children and adolescents. This is especially concerning because they are priced affordably, making it easier for young people to purchase them. The medical viewpoint is very clear: disposable e-cigarettes must be banned.

This open letter to the Federal Ministry for the Environment is supported by the German Waste Management Association (BDE), the German Environmental Aid organization (DUH), the German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), as well as the Smoke-Free Action Alliance (Aktionsbündnis Nichtrauchen e.V.), the German Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management Association (bvse), the German Respiratory League (Deutsche Atemwegsliga e.V.), the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), the German Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin e.V.), the German Lung Foundation (Deutsche Lungenstiftung e.V.), the German Children's Fund (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk e.V.), the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum), the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU), and the German Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU).