Why are single-use tobacco and cannabis vaping devices an emerging plastic pollution issue?
When you are walking on most any street, highway, park, or beach, just look down. You will see small plastic e-cigarette, also known as vape, devices littering our communities in ways we have not seen before.
Waste from disposable vapes has increased in recent years. In just the two years between 2021 and 2023, 35 million more vapes were thrown away in the U.S., resulting in an estimated 5.7 disposable vapes thrown away every second in 2023. However, disposable vapes are a uniquely concerning type of plastic pollution — vapes are a triple threat, combining three waste problems in one: single-use plastic, hazardous chemicals, and electronic waste.
The first issue with vapes is that most are single-use products, designed to be discarded once the liquid or battery runs out. Sales of disposable vapes increased by over 500% between 2019 and 2023, after they were exempt from a 2020 federal enforcement policy that aimed to restrict flavored products marketed to youth — flavors such as mango, tutti frutti, and blue raspberry. Now, disposables make up a majority of the e-cigarette market.
The second problem is that vapes contain toxic chemicals including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and toxics associated with cancer and lung disease. These chemicals can harm smokers, and after being thrown away, they can also contaminate the environment. They also make vapes difficult to properly dispose of. The EPA classifies nicotine as acute hazardous waste, and because THC is federally restricted, they cannot be handled by any interstate waste processors or transporters.
The last problem is that vapes are electronic devices, containing internal metals and a lithium-ion battery. These batteries pose dangerous fire and explosion risks when such large volumes are crushed inside garbage trucks or shredders.
The result of this combination is that disposable vapes don’t fit neatly into any existing waste stream. Few industrial facilities in the U.S. are equipped to handle lithium-ion batteries, and most do not accept vapes because of their hazardous chemicals. Meanwhile, many hazardous waste vendors reject vapes due to the complex needs associated with their electronics and batteries. In reality, most disposable vapes end up in standard household trash, or in the hands of schools that pay significant amounts of money to properly dispose of them.
Consumers cannot solve this problem on their own. Laws and regulations are needed to phase out disposable vapes and establish safe disposal systems. The United Kingdom banned the sale and production of disposable vapes in 2025 and California’s bill AB 762, to prohibit the import, manufacture, and sale of single-use, battery-embedded nicotine vapes, was just signed into law on September 28, 2026.
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