Not-so-disposable e-cigarettes: Methods young people use to discard single-use e-cigarettes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Limited research exists on disposable e-cigarette waste compared to traditional cigarette waste.
• Disposable e-cigarettes contain hazardous and toxic materials, posing environmental risks.
• Adolescents and young adults are significant users of disposable e-cigarettes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the self-reported disposal methods of disposable e-cigarettes among US adolescents and young adults.
• To identify patterns in how young people discard single-use e-cigarette waste.
• To understand the association between vaping behaviors and disposal practices.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey data from US residents aged 15-24 years (November 2022 - August 2023).
• Analytical sample included 1313 respondents who used disposables in the past 30 days.
• Weighted multinomial logistic regressions analyzed disposal methods, controlling for socio-demographics and tobacco use behaviors.

Main Results:

• Over half of respondents (52.9%) reported discarding disposable e-cigarettes in the regular trash.
• The average respondent discarded 3.1 disposable e-cigarettes monthly.
• Keeping or collecting disposables was the second most common method (21.4%), with higher vaping frequency linked to this behavior.

Conclusions:

• Young people in the US primarily dispose of single-use e-cigarettes in the trash or keep them.
• Current disposal practices for disposable e-cigarettes raise significant safety and environmental concerns.
• Further research and interventions are needed to promote responsible e-cigarette waste management.