Many young people like disposable e-cigarettes – they are so bad for the environment

They are colorful, smell like strawberries or watermelon and can be seen everywhere – especially among young people: disposable e-cigarettes have become a big trend in Switzerland this year. Sometimes they are described as an aid to chain smoking cessation, sometimes as a health sin for young people.

The run on the devices began with the so-called “puff bar”, which first appeared on the Swiss market in 2020. This was followed by countless imitation products. Around the turn of the year in 2022, demand increased sharply. By June 2022 by as much as 30 percent per month, says Mario Puppo, president of the Swiss Vape Trade Association.

Disposable e-cigarettes were soon everywhere. Whether in the kiosk, at the hairdresser or in online stores. “Many people came into the sale wanting to earn a franc quickly,” says Mario Puppo. The devices also ended up in the hands of the influencers. They finally blew steam into the camera on Tiktok and Co. and posed with the colored devices. This is how the manufacturers reached their target group: the youth.

Alexander Möller, head of pulmonary medicine at the Children’s Hospital in Zurich, also sees the trend. A study he led, published in 2020, found that about 70 percent of girls and about 60 percent of boys aged 16 to 17 smoke in the canton of Zurich. Most of them use e-cigarettes. There are no current figures, but: “Today there are certainly more young people,” he says.

Advertising on social media is aimed directly at young people. “We are concerned that the effects of the devices are being downplayed. Because the industry proclaims e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to smoking,” he says. “But we don’t even know what long-term damage they have.” What he does know is that young people in particular are at risk of addiction. “Most addicts started smoking around age 15,” he says.

The problem is that devices containing nicotine are not yet legally subject to an age limit in Switzerland. This will change when the Tobacco Products Act enters into force in 2024. According to Puppo, minors are already being refused in specialty shops, but the figures show that they can somehow get their device. A test at various online retailers shows: A few mouse clicks – and the e-cigarette is ordered. age check? There are not any.

In fact, the e-cigarette shops did not want to follow the trend at all. “Initially, all specialty stores in Switzerland were hesitant to sell disposable e-cigarettes,” says Puppo. How so? “Because we already knew their problems.” Just selling the devices with kiosks and gas stations goes far beyond e-cigarette stores.

Industry association chairman Puppo is frustrated. He says:

This loss of control not only leads to an undesirable trend among minors, but also to an environmental sin. “The other points of sale do not provide information about health aspects or correct disposal. Not out of ignorance, but because you simply don’t know.”

Because: 500 to 800 pulls and the steamer is empty. Then the plastic housing, together with the battery inside, often ends up in the trash. A UK study commissioned by Material Focus, a not-for-profit recycling organisation, found that half of single-use e-cigarettes in the UK are thrown away. As of June, more than 1.3 million such devices are thrown away each week in the UK.

A lithium-ion battery always ends up in the trash. According to the manufacturer’s website, the popular “Puff Bar” has a 350 mAh battery. For comparison, the new iPhone 14 has a battery of 3279 mAh. With ten “puff bars” thrown away, the battery capacity for an iPhone 14 ends up in the trash.

In Switzerland no exact figures can be given. But for Mario Puppo it is clear:

Because the devices should actually be recycled – from the rechargeable battery to the plastic, everything can be recycled.

The smoker does not have to disassemble the device: “Each point of sale is obliged to accept all devices again,” says Puppo. They would then be sent to the electronic waste collection point.

It is not yet clear how this problem can be solved. At the end of October, the Federal Council only announced its intention to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes containing nicotine. However, this should take into account the lower harmful potential of e-cigarettes and should therefore be lower than for traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The Federal Council proposes twenty cents per milliliter of liquid for ordinary appliances and even one franc per milliliter of liquid for disposable appliances – to protect minors. A disposable e-cigarette that now costs ten francs will cost 11.80 francs in the future. He expects an annual additional income of about CHF 13.8 million. (aargauerzeitung.ch)