How Much Does Vaping Affect the Environment?
Smoking is one of the most common habits among people, especially among the young population. While all that look cool, and the calming effects that nicotine provides, cigarettes are one of the biggest causes of pollution. The smoke affects the air quality, and the butts are polluting the soil.
Fortunately, we have the chance to satisfy our nicotine cravings by using vapes. Not only do they look better, but they also last longer and the smoke is significantly less harmful compared to cigarettes which are their biggest benefit.
In this article, we’ll talk about how vapes affect environmental pollution. This will help you to understand the problem and create habits of proper vape disposal to reduce pollution. Keep reading and find out more.
Explanation of vape waste
This is a waste caused by using vapes. It includes single-use devices, nicotine containers, power units, and the plastic packaging itself. Because of that, there is pollution for three reasons.
First is plastic, as vapes are made of plastic, including the device itself as well as the nicotine liquid tank. A second pollutant is the nicotine liquid, which contains numerous chemical substances which can be toxic. Lastly, batteries are a significant polluter of the environment, especially the lithium ones used in vapes.
However, it is important to note that no matter how much impact vapes have on the environment, they are always a better and friendlier alternative than regular cigs.
Health risks
The first major risk related to smoking is all of the health risks. However, they are not only affecting the ones who smoke but everyone around them as well. This includes their friends and family, as well as the environment.
For example, due to air pollution, both pets and surrounding animals are being affected. Due to soil pollution, domestic animals and crops are affected which produces unhealthy products. This is more emphasized by regular smoking, due to the greater number of chemicals present in the smoke.
Forests destruction
Destruction of forests has been a serious problem due to the increased number of smokers in the world. To produce a cigarette, we need tobacco which is usually planted inside forest areas. For that reason, a high number of trees have been cut down which leads to major deforestation.
In addition, cigarettes are being wrapped in paper, which is estimated of more than three miles of paper in an hour per cigarette manufacturing factory. This is being translated to one tree for every 15 packs of cigs. Because the vapes are not using paper, they are a significantly greener smoking variant. Check out DashVapes if you are eager for more information.
Soil pollution
The first cause of soil damage is the production of tobacco. There are plenty of pest control products used during this process that can lead to loss of fertility of the land, being unable to support any other plantation.
The biggest pollutants are the butts of each cigarette. They are made of cellulose and plastic polymer which take a long time to degrade. Instead, they can be degraded using ultraviolet lights but that still takes a lot of time.
With that, when thrown away, they sit on the soil with all the toxic materials inside them that are causing major pollution. In addition, cig butts can also get into the waters which seriously impacts the fauna.
On the other hand, vapes are less likely to be thrown and cause littering. Everyone can simply put their used electronic cigar in their pockets and dispose of it properly. However, due to reckless smokers throwing their used devices on the ground, we have a big problem because plastic doesn’t degrade.
But still, cleaning the soil is much easier because it is simpler to pick up the devices than collect a large number of butts.
Air pollution
Due to the chemicals found in the smoke, there is significant air pollution. Normally, CO2 is not toxic to smokers, but it all adds up to the worsening of the atmosphere. Globally, there are more than 2 billion kilos of CO2 produced into the atmosphere solely from smoking. With that, it is easy to understand how one habit inflicts on the climate.
In addition, the remaining toxic products found in the smoke are the reason behind various conditions and diseases. Neoplasms and pulmonary diseases are only some of the risks. However, by switching from regular cigs to electronic ones, you are significantly lowering the risk for such diseases.
No wildfires
During the summer periods, we often see the scenery of wildfires across the globe. The main reason behind such a devastating situation is cigarettes thrown away by reckless smokers. With that, the butt ignites a portion of the plats and the destruction starts from there.
However, vapes are not igniting the same way as usual cigs. With that, even if a reckless person throws their unit inside the forest, there will be no wildfire because of that action. Not only is the vape safer for the smoker and the people around him, but it is also a safer product for the environment as well. But there is only one thing vapers need to learn, and that is the correct disposal of their units.
Disposal education
If people understand how to properly dispose of their vaping units, the environment will be much safer. This is what most manufacturers fail to explain, which is why we are going to do this. As mentioned above, three vape components affect the environment. Since smoke is already a cleaner alternative, we’ll focus on other things.
The battery and the plastic case are the things you should focus on. Firstly, see if there is a program in your country that helps in the recycling of such units. If not, ask for a hazardous equipment waste solution.
If you can, remove the battery and dispose of it at the right recycling spot. After that, you can throw the remaining into the hazardous waste container. Such simple practice will make you a more responsible environmentalist and make the planet much safer in the future.
