Key Points:
·In the United States, nearly 500,000 disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away every day, which equates to 5.7 per second.
·These disposable e-cigarettes contain nicotine and heavy metals, and their plastic casings are difficult to degrade.
·The lithium-ion batteries in disposable e-cigarettes can potentially cause fires at waste facilities.
·Sales have significantly decreased in California and Massachusetts after the ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
【2Firsts News Flash】According to a report by Fast Company on July 16th, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) analyzed data from 2023 and concluded that Americans are throwing away nearly 500,000 disposable e-cigarettes per day, which is equivalent to about 5.7 per second. In 2022, PIRG recorded that Americans were disposing of 4.5 disposable e-cigarettes per second.
Lucas Gutterman, Director of the "Long-lasting Design" campaign at PIRG, stated that disposable e-cigarettes are a particularly harmful form of pollution for several reasons. Firstly, these devices contain nicotine, a toxic chemical that can leach into water and soil, causing harm to wildlife and ecosystems. They are also made of non-recyclable plastic, which can spread toxins and microplastics into the environment.
An increasing number of disposable e-cigarettes are now equipped with digital device functions, including screens that display animations, built-in speakers for playing music or games. This means that all of these disposables fall under electronic waste, so every time a disposable e-cigarette is thrown away, it's like "throwing away a mini computer after just a few days of use," Gutman said.
The lithium-ion batteries in disposable e-cigarettes are made using key minerals that need to be mined. Laptops, cell phones, and electric cars also use lithium-ion batteries. According to data from the American PIRG, the lithium used in the batteries of disposable e-cigarettes sold each year weighs nearly 30 tons, equivalent to the amount of lithium needed to manufacture 3350 electric car batteries.
When disposable e-cigarettes are thrown into trash bins and taken to recycling and waste treatment facilities, the lithium-ion batteries in these devices could potentially cause fires as they may get jammed and crushed by machinery. The report estimates that disposable e-cigarettes lead to waste treatment facility fires causing $95 million in damages each year.
When disposable e-cigarettes are not disposed of properly in designated facilities, they directly contribute to environmental pollution. If a disposable e-cigarette is littered on the street, it may end up reaching the sewer system, flowing through streams and rivers, eventually entering the ocean or coastal areas. It is foreseeable that disposable e-cigarettes have become one of the primary sources of beach pollution: according to data from the Surfrider Foundation, the number of e-cigarettes collected by volunteers during beach clean-ups has increased by 150% from 2021 to 2024.
The disposable e-cigarette is a serious threat, according to Kelsey Lamp, Director of Marine Affairs at the Center for Environmental Research and Policy in the United States, because they combine three types of waste in one product.
“They are hazardous waste because they contain nicotine and heavy metals; they are electronic waste, with batteries and circuits; they are plastic waste that never degrades.”
Research shows that e-cigarette liquid decreases the hatching success rate of fish eggs and leads to other impacts such as DNA damage. Additionally, the plastic casing can carry toxins and break down into microplastics.
Some states are taking action against disposable e-cigarettes. California banned the sale of flavored tobacco products, resulting in a 52% decrease in disposable e-cigarette sales. Massachusetts also banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, leading to a 74% drop in disposable e-cigarette sales. However, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and U.S. PIRG are urging lawmakers to take further action and ban disposable e-cigarettes nationwide.
“We will not directly dump 30 tons of lithium into the ocean. We will not pour thousands of pounds of nicotine into waterways. However, we are doing just that by allowing disposable e-cigarettes to pollute our waterways. Our oceans are already under pressure from rising temperatures, overfishing, and land pollution. We cannot add to this preventable source of toxic waste.”
Landi said.
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