In Brooklyn, New York City, there is a woman named Nora. She declined to give her full name for privacy reasons. However, many people know Nora as a vape recycling activist in New York City.
Nora said she started the self-funded effort because of the large number of vapes being dumped carelessly on city streets. In fact, she said, there are many official disposal boxes or drop-off box in various corners of the city.
“What do I do with the vape? I take it to an electronics recycling center. New York City has a number of recycling locations that are open one day a week in almost every borough where people can bring their electronics,” he explained.
Nora’s initiative is a grassroots effort to combat the growing problem of vape pollution. But the challenges are enormous, activists say.
Lucas Gutterman, project director at the Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy group focused on public health, transportation, and higher education, is concerned about vape pollution.
“America throws away four and a half vapes every second. The problem is that these vapes are made of different components, all of which are very difficult to recycle or handle after disposal,” he commented.
Guuterman explains, many of these devices contain hazardous materials like lithium and nicotine, which can cause significant environmental damage. Jeremiah Mock, a professor at the University of California San Francisco who has studied the issue extensively, explains the dangers.
“Nicotine is basically a neurotoxin. It’s a toxin to the nervous system, including our brain and all the nerves in our body. When you have these devices that are thrown on the ground, and then it rains, the result is that these e-liquids that contain nicotine and other chemicals leach into the water and start contaminating the surrounding environment,” he explained.
The leading vape retailer association, the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association or SFATA, is also aware of the dangers, and has even recently called for a ban on the import of these single-use products.
April Meyers, CEO of SFATA, said, “So, SFATA has a couple hundred members who are retailers, manufacturers in the vape space. We recently surveyed them and took a stand against disposable vapes because of their impact on the environment. We believe that they are bad for the environment.”
Meyers claims many of his members still sell the product for business purposes. “Unfortunately, many members are forced to stay afloat, so they choose not to do it. But yes, they do sell it, because if they don’t, their business will go out of business,” he explained.
Several countries, including China, Iran, and the UK, have begun to impose strict regulations on these products. While the US still lags behind in regulation and recycling efforts, people like Nora are raising awareness, and paving the way for stronger action to curb such devices in the future. (ab/uh)
