<998 words, ~5 minutes read>
Sure, smoking is terrible; this argument has been long certified. Have you ever tried vape? Not that I recommend you try. Those gadgets that mimic smoking are more than just a puff of vapour.
Background
Vapes are kind of like the glamorous bad guys in every cartoon. They are cool and beautiful, have catchy lines (as in advertisements), and are somehow attractive. However, under their shiny capes is a cocktail of nicotine, glycerin, flavourings, and other chemicals. According to a review by ASH Scotland, vaping has captured a startling number of teenagers, with users aged 11-17 skyrocketing nearly tenfold between 2020 and 2023. The plot thickens as these disposable vapes are revealed to come loaded with the maximum nicotine of 20mg/ml, which imposes worse addiction risks.
But this doesn’t end with just health concerns. Vapes are also environmental villains in disguise. We can find circuit boards that are made with rare metals in every disposable vape. Yet, if improperly discarded, these riches turn toxic and leak into the underground. And those batteries are like mini bombs planted carelessly, ready to ignite. Batteries would pose harm to people near them and cause property damage like recycling plants. It would also be very ironic to lose a £100,000 collection truck to a £2 disposable vape like the base of the superheroes was somehow accidentally destroyed by a newly recruited evil minion.
The current study
Unfortunately, although vapes are likened to supervillains, this is not a superhero story. No one will suddenly have a tragic origin story, gain superpowers, and make vapes disappear forever. However, as ordinary people, we also have our roles to play. The current study interviewed professionals from environmental health and waste management to help us address the issue of vapes.
We aimed to gain insights such as what they consider the biggest problem is with vapes and their suggestions for future campaigns targeting vapes. Their perspectives and experiences are invaluable because they understand the most challenging aspects of their work, the priorities that need addressing first, and the areas that are most lacking.
To effectively gather this information, we conducted in-depth interviews with five employees from the environmental health and waste management teams at Haringey Council. Our interviews were semi-structured, containing 11 main questions about how vaping affects their job roles, the challenges they have encountered with vaping, vaping policies, and their recommendations for a vaping prevention message. Based on their responses, various follow-up questions were also posed.
Research Insights
Unfortunately, we did find way more problems than solutions. After all, vapes are a relatively new product. The answers received can be roughly put into four themes:
Adjusting to a new problem
“(Vaping) is something that we weren’t really geared up with dealing with.”
Navigating the vaping vortex has turned out to be quite the adventure for the related departments, thanks to a blend of regulatory and facilitatory gaps and the lack of information on the vaping problem. Basically, the departments are still trying to update their rule books (e.g., regulations on vape sales, such as introducing licenses similar to alcohol selling) and facilities (e.g., recycling points that can process vape waste). Staff shortages are already unpleasant, and this issue is compounded by the anxiety over whether vaping will become a long-term problem. After all, if the government were to allocate a large sum of money to vaping as they did years ago by fitting trash bins with cigarette waste, and then everyone moved past the vaping trend, it would be a tremendous waste.
Current Impact of the Vape Problem
“My daughter, who’s eight, could go in and buy me a vape and there doesn’t seem to be any like consideration is all about the sale and making the money quick time.”
Although the current study tried to focus on the environmental impact of vaping products, many other aspects were brought up multiple times by the participants. The main problems seem to be fire risks caused by the batteries inside vape products, teenage vaping (linked to the limited regulation on vape sales), and the visibility of vape waste on the street, making them a “beacon of litter”, legitimizing other littering behaviour. However, the littering problem is noticed by only some, which also points to the uncertainty of how big an impact vaping has on the environment.
Retailer Responsibility and Irresponsibility
“…so ignorance is not a defence.”
It was noted that most retailers, particularly those in small stores, still need to meet their responsibilities in terms of setting up recycling boxes and ensuring that only legal vape products are sold to eligible customers. This oversight is primarily attributed to a need for more knowledge, suggesting that more than communication alone is required. This issue traces back to the lack of regulatory methods in the market, such as establishing licenses for vape products or increasing sanctions to raise the cost of non-compliance for sellers, compelling them to handle their products and sales more cautiously.
Buyer Awareness
“I’ll be pushing more on the kind of health messages…, like they do cigarettes.”
Education was once again mentioned on behalf of buyers, and the health impacts of vaping and the proper disposal of vape waste were emphasized when suggesting a prevention message. While some also mentioned incentives to reinforce these messages, long-term effectiveness was questioned. The potential danger of spreading misinformation about vaping as a healthy alternative to smoking was also a concern. Overall, there was a consensus on the need for accurate information to guide buyer behaviour.
Limitations of the study
It should be noted that the current study only included five participants from the Haringey Council, meaning the results are highly affected by regional factors and might not be generalizable to other areas.
Although the vaping problem seems complicated to solve even for professionals, combined with existing studies, their insights can help advance plans to combat vaping issues effectively. Also, maybe think twice next time before buying or throwing away any vape product.
Reference
Cui, J., & Zhang, L. (2008). Metallurgical recovery of metals from electronic waste: A review. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 158(2–3), 228–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.02.001
Duan, H., Hou, K., Li, J., & Zhu, X. (2011). Examining the technology acceptance for dismantling of waste printed circuit boards in light of recycling and environmental concerns. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(3), 392–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.10.057
Kong, L., Li, C., Jiang, J., & Pecht, M. (2018). Li-Ion battery fire hazards and safety strategies. Energies, 11(9), 2191. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092191
Scotland, A. (2023, September 1). ASH Scotland’s literature review for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s tobacco planning and implementation group – Review of current evidence: Young people and e-cigarettes. http://hdl.handle.net/11289/580365