How To Recycle Vapes? Challenges and Solutions

In an era where sustainability is at the forefront of our daily choices, questions about the environmental impact of various products have become increasingly common. E-cigarettes, a popular alternative to traditional smoking, have gained traction, but the question remains: how to recycle vapes?

In this blog post, we will delve into the recycling of e-cigarettes or vapes, exploring the components, challenges, and potential solutions. Plus, we’ll provide a list of possible options for recycling your vapes.

The Components of E-cigarettes:

E-cigarettes, also known as vape pens or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), consist of several components. These typically include a rechargeable battery, a heating element or atomizer, a cartridge or tank to hold the e-liquid, and various electronic components. Understanding the materials involved is crucial in determining their recyclability.

Despite the potential recyclability of certain components, there are challenges associated with e-cigarette recycling:

1. Mixed Materials: E-liquid containers are usually made of plastic or glass. While some types of glass and plastic are recyclable in curbside programs, these components are mixed with other materials, making it difficult to separate them. Separating these materials manually is labor-intensive and may not be feasible in standard recycling facilities. Plus, the existence of any remaining e-liquid, nicotine, and other chemicals makes recycling these items impossible.
2. Hazardous Waste: The nicotine-containing e-liquids pose a challenge, as they are considered hazardous waste. Improper disposal can have environmental consequences, emphasizing the need for responsible disposal methods.
3. Lithium-ion Batteries: The batteries used in vapes are lithium-ion batteries and are also classified as hazardous waste. They can catch fire under certain conditions and pose a risk to waste and recycling employees.
4. Limited Awareness: Many individuals may not be aware of the recyclability of certain e-cigarette components. Raising awareness about proper disposal methods is crucial to improving recycling rates.

These challenges make it impossible for regular curbside recyclers that handle paper, glass, plastic, and metal packaging to process vapes. In fact, with their batteries and electronic components, they are often categorized as e-waste.

How to properly dispose of e-cigarettes?

Don’t throw away your disposable vapes in your garbage bin – vapes include a lithium-ion battery that is classified as hazardous waste and is a fire hazard. These batteries cause contamination and can lead to fires or explosions at recycling plants.

Don’t put your disposable vapes in your recycling bin – they are not accepted in curbside programs because of their hazardous components, but they are also very difficult to recycle, and curbside recycling services are not set up to handle them.

How to recycle reusable vapes:

1. Check if your local vape shop or a nearby store has a recycling program available.
2. Check if the manufacturer has a recycling program.
3. Find your local e-waste recycler and check if they accept e-cigarettes.
4. If your vape is a reusable type, you may be able to separate the battery and dispose of it through a battery recycling program. Learn how to recycle your batteries responsibly. However, if the vape is disposable or single-use, the battery is likely too hard to remove, and it may be unsafe to attempt to remove it yourself. Check for services that will accept the entire vape for recycling, like those listed above, vape shops, manufacturers, or e-waste recyclers.
5. If the battery was removed, you can dispose of the remaining cartridge and other components through unwanted medication recycling programs.

Existing Programs for responsible disposal of vapes and vape parts

Vape disposal in the USA

• There is a Free Terrcycle Smoke-free Recycling Program – This program accepts empty vape cartridges/pods, VEEV devices including batteries, HEETS sticks and flexible packaging, and VEEBA devices including batteries. Be sure to check their instructions and include all labels, as this is hazardous waste, and it must be labeled correctly for shipping.
• Battery recycling is available through Call2recycle, Recycle Nation, Battery Solutions, Staples, Lowe’s, and others; just be sure to check that they accept lithium-ion battery types.
• The remaining components may be disposed of through the DEA National TakeBack Program.

Vape Disposal in the United Kingdom

In the UK, vapes or e-cigs are collected through Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) bins at recycling centers. Also, many vape shops offer dedicated bins for drop-off. Plus, electronic stores in the UK that are over 400 square meters in size must accept the return of used small WEEE items like vapes for free. Some manufacturers offer free in-store or mail-in recycling programs like the Totally Wicked Recycling Program.

Vape Disposal in Australia

There are a large number of free battery collection points available through Aldi, B-Cycle, Battery World, Officeworks, but be sure to call ahead and check if they accept lithium-ion batteries. The remaining components can be dropped off through the Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) program.

For disposable vapes, where the battery cannot be removed, you can look into hazardous waste collections or specialist programs like RecycleSmart or Ecocycle.

Find more options through the RecyclingNearYou website by Planet Ark.

While certain components of e-cigarettes are recyclable, the process comes with challenges due to mixed materials and hazardous waste concerns. Users should responsibly dispose of e-cigarette components to minimize the risk of hazardous waste reaching the environment. By learning how to recycle vapes, following local recycling guidelines, and participating in battery or e-waste recycling programs, they can ensure that the materials are handled safely and, where possible, recycled.