We all have to start somewhere, and with the e-waste crisis ever-looming, recycling our vapes responsibly is one of many ways we can start securing a clean and green future.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of electronic waste, attention has traditionally been drawn to the persistent challenge of disposing vapes in an ethical and sustainable way.
However, despite vapes being a real problem in this evolving e-waste crisis, statistics have been issued revealing e-cigarettes as less of a significant contributor in comparison to hordes of ubiquitous gadgets piling up.
After compiling statistics from the Yale Environmental Review and the UN, we have created some visual pointers to depict the catastrophic damage impacting the planet by discarded e-waste on an annual basis.
- In 2019, the e-waste output of the entire world weighed the equivalent of 350 cruise ships and is estimated to increase to 375 as of this year.
- If you placed in a line a year’s worth of e-waste from one individual, it would be 77 miles long, meaning it would take over an hour to drive across a highway of such magnitude.
- Norway is currently in the lead as the country with the most e-waste per capita, with their heavy influence of electric cars accounting to 26kg worth of waste being produced.
- For every million laptops recycled, the energy equivalent of electricity consumed by more than 3500 homes per year could be saved.
- Children’s electronic toys contribute 77 times more to the world’s invisible e-waste than vapes, accounting for 42 million kilograms a year.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to quantify some of this data in the hopes of pinpointing just how much e-waste is disposed of incorrectly.
Overall, they discovered that nine billion kilograms of ‘invisible’ e-waste is thrown away every year, the cost of which would equal a whopping ten billion according to analysis.
Oliver Franklin-Wallis, author of Wasteland, a book on waste disposal said:
“Electronic waste is our fastest growing waste stream. It’s also by far our most valuable waste stream when it comes to household waste.”
This article is in no way a means to shift blame, because anyone in the vaping industry is well-aware that waste from e-cigarettes is a contributing factor.
As society witnesses an exponential rise in the popularity of vaping devices, the environmental repercussions of their electronic components is only accentuating the need for change, and fast.
E-waste is a serious issue, and if one of the ways you can contribute to the greater good is by recycling your vape device correctly, it’s as good a place to start as any.
4 ways vapers can help reduce e-waste
- Find a vape disposal bin near you.
- Return them to an electrical retailer.
- Sign up for a collection recycling scheme and have your devices transported to the proper facilities for you.
- Check vape stores near you for recycling bins and their own environmental schemes.
We have to change the way we view sustainability across the world, and although it may seem like a losing battle sometimes, if disposing our vapes correctly is the place to start, then so be it.
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