How Recycling Vape Products Can Help The Environment

How to recycle vape products

Climate change has become somewhat of a contentious issue at present, providing enough topical debate to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, unless the vast majority of people at the top of the system buck up their ideas and introduce progressive environmental legislation, then there won’t be a lifetime to debate. We are constantly told the damage we’ve caused to the planet is catastrophic, with the need to become more sustainable as a species as vital as it ever will be. Please note that the materials that can be recycled differs depending on your local authorities. Please check what you can recycle in your area here - https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-locator

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR IMPACT AT HOME?

Fortunately, the regular person can make a difference and that ultimately extends to their habits, particularly when it comes to nicotine consumption.

Just by being a regular smoker, the damage exacted on the environment is almost unbelievable.

Over a lifetime 'approximately 352 trees are destroyed for every smoker which equates to around 6 per year. This equates to a tree being destroyed for every 15 packs of cigarettes consumed'.

For every discarded cigarette butt, over 600 carcinogenic chemicals are released into the earth’s atmosphere which erodes our habitat at an alarming rate. As well as this Mt Baker Vapor goes on to say, ‘The tobacco industry releases 22 millions tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. There are 5.5 trillion cigarettes produced per year, therefore 0.03066 tons of CO2 is released per cigarette’.

GUIDE TO RECYCLING YOUR VAPE KITS

We examine how by simply switching to vaping, you’re not just greatly reducing the harm on your body caused by cigarettes, but are also helping the climate through the impact of proper waste disposal and reducing your carbon footprint. Although there’s still scope for improvement in the vape industry to tackle this problem fully, we’ll talk you through the facts of how and why you can preserve the planet for future generations.

Here’s a generic breakdown of each part of the vape kit that can be recycled:

Vape Battery Mod

A vape mod is essentially the brain of a vape kit, providing power as well as a chipset to dictate vapour production.

What Is It Made Of?

Mod Device - Metal/Plastic
Battery - Lithium, Carbon, Metal

Where Can This Be Recycled?

Batteries must be disposed of at specialist battery disposal bins whilst standard mods, due to containing a circuit board must be recycled at e-waste sites. Please seek your nearest WEEE recycling centre or battery recycling point. Plus, you can find your nearest electronic waste centre here.

Does It Need Any Special Treatment Before Disposing Of/Recycling?

Just make sure your mod is clean of any e-liquid residue and always make sure the battery is removed and disposed of separately.

Vape Tank

A vape tank contains and heats e-liquid, turning it into inhalable vapour.

What Is It Made Of?

Metal, Glass, Rubber, Plastic

Where Can This Be Recycled?

Products containing metal parts cannot be recycled at home, these metal parts should be separated, collected and then taken to your local tip for correct disposal as scrap metal.
The rubber parts should be separated and disposed of in general waste to avoid recycling contamination.

Does It Need Any Special Treatment Before Disposing Of/Recycling?

As mentioned, clean of any e-liquid/nicotine residue and disassemble all the parts separately. Always make sure coils are removed from the tank before recycling.

Coils

Vape coils are used in tanks. Each one is fitted with a wrapped wire and a cotton wick, to soak and heat up e-liquid which turns it into vapour.

What Is It Made Of?

Metal, Cotton Wick

Where Can This Be Recycled?

Products containing metal parts cannot be recycled at home, these metal parts should be separated, collected and then taken to your local tip for correct disposal as scrap metal.
The rubber parts should be separated and disposed of in general waste to avoid recycling contamination.

Does It Need Any Special Treatment Before Disposing Of/Recycling?

Always remove the cotton wick which is some cases is easy, whilst incredibly complex for other types including vertically built coils. The cotton cannot be recycled due to being deeply saturated in e-liquid and nicotine.

E-liquid Bottle/Cartridge

E-liquid bottles hold e-liquid when not in a vape tank, whilst cartridges provide the same function as a vape tank in a specialist format to suit the pod device.

What Is It Made Of?

Bottles -Plastic/Glass
Pod/Cartridge - Metal/Cotton

Where Can This Be Recycled?

Products containing metal parts cannot be recycled at home, these metal parts should be separated, collected and then taken to your local tip for correct disposal as scrap metal.
The rubber parts should be separated and disposed of in general waste to avoid recycling contamination.

Does It Need Any Special Treatment Before Disposing Of/Recycling?

Standard e-liquid bottles are comprised of plastic, and sometimes rarely glass, allowing them to be easily disposed of in home recycling bins once cleaned. Replacement pods/cartridges are a little trickier, if the coil can be removed, stripped of wick and the cartridge is cleaned thoroughly then it can be recycled, however the vast majority make it hard to disassemble coil from cartridge.

RECYCLING VAPE KITS - THE DETAILS

As highlighted above, the basic components of a conventional vape kit; a battery mod, tank and coils, can be recycled once cleaned of any toxic nicotine residue. The main concern of correct disposal is cotton wick, that essentially e-liquid saturates into, which need to be removed from the coils before being recycled. As well as this, removable batteries being can be correctly recycled into battery disposal bins, which are very common nowadays. Other than that, the vast majority of the materials (plastic, cardboard, rubber and metal) used in vaping equipment can be disposed of in standard home recycling bins including e-liquid bottles, packaging and devices.

It’s always recommended to check the product box or packaging whether an item is recyclable, particularly in terms of pre-filled pod kits or integrated battery devices as due to their often non-disassembly construction they cannot be recycled correctly. This is where in truth, the vape industry needs to improve its infrastructure, with the least sustainable products coming from beginner markets which is no doubt where the bulk of custom derives from.

As a rule of thumb, if a device is refillable and uses a removable battery, the chances are it can be recycled in some way or another. Just to reiterate, before recycling it is essential to clean your hardware, in particular tanks and coils which come into direct contact with e-liquid. For more information on this check out our handy guide and video on how to correctly clean your vape tank.

QUICK HINTS & TIPS - REDUCING YOUR IMPACT

There are also certain knacks to extend your eco-friendliness. One of the biggest causes of climate change is the overuse of fuel worldwide with around 54 million litres of fuel being burned away each day across the planet. One way to reduce this is to buy your e-liquids locally in the UK, decreasing the air mileage and transportation as opposed to US or European produced e-liquids.

Being An Eco-friendly Vaper

Reusing or donating vape equipment can also be hugely beneficial

A mod with a Variable Wattage mode can be used with a range of tanks meaning you won’t have to go out and purchase a new tank and instead reuse an old on

Reduce sugar in your e-liquid

E-liquids with a large amount of flavouring have an increased sugar content which naturally kills coil much faster than simple flavours. Use menthol or tobacco for the longest lifespan.

Switch to a higher nicotine strength

This will mean you’ll vape less and in the process save on e-liquid and plastic consumption. One way to achieve this is to change to salt nicotine e-liquids which naturally has a higher ratio of nicotine but also a faster absorption into the bloodstream, meaning cravings will decrease significantly.

SUMMING UP

We hope this has helped and guided you into becoming an eco-friendly vaper. Now we’ve supplied you with the facts and tips, it’s up to you to dispose of your vape equipment correctly. If you require more information on recycling or are confused as to whether a particular product can be recycled, please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding any issues.