How to Dispose of Vapes in NYC — and Why They Don’t Belong in the Trash

The answer is more complicated than many people realize.

Americans discard more than 500,000 e-cigarette devices per day making vape waste one of the fastest growing waste streams. Many disposable vapes contain lithium-ion batteries, nicotine, plastic, metal, wiring, and other electronic components. When these products are crushed in garbage trucks, recycling facilities, or waste transfer stations, they can create fire risks and expose sanitation workers and waste facility staff to hazardous materials.

To better understand the growing problem of vape waste, the Sanitation Foundation spoke with Damian Ashton, a service designer whose work focuses on systems innovation, communications, and practical solutions to complex waste challenges. Ashton began researching vape waste after noticing the rapid rise of single-use vape products — and asking a simple question: what happens after people are done using them?

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, why you started researching this problem, and possible solutions? 

I'm a service designer with a background in marketing, communications, and systems innovation. Whether I'm working on digital products, operational systems, community engagement, or communications strategy, I'm always interested in understanding how systems function and where they break down. Around 2020, following the JUUL flavor pod ban, I noticed a rapid rise in brightly colored, flavored, single-use vape products. Unlike traditional cigarettes, single-use vapes combine plastics, metals, electronics, lithium-ion batteries, nicotine liquid, wiring, cotton, and charging components into a single product designed to be discarded after only a short period of use. Yet there was little guidance for consumers on how to dispose of them safely. As I researched further, I learned vape disposal isn't simply an electronics recycling issue—it also raises important environmental, regulatory, and logistical questions. 

That led me to ask a broader question: how do we design a system that responsibly manages these products from production through end of life? I think the opportunity lies in bringing together industry, government, public health, recyclers, and communities to build practical, long-term solutions. 

2. What are some facts about vape waste that people might not know? 

First and foremost, most people don't even realize vape waste exists as a distinct waste stream. When I first started researching the issue, I spoke with government advisory

groups, nonprofits, elected officials, and waste professionals. At the time, very few viewed vape waste as a significant environmental challenge. 

The scale of the problem is significant. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group estimates that approximately 5.7 disposable vapes are thrown away every second in the United States. While youth vaping has declined in recent years, more than 7% of high school students—over two million young people nationwide—still report using e-cigarettes. 

Just as concerning is what happens after those products are used. National studies have found that 52.9% of young adults throw spent vapes directly into household trash, while up to 85.4% of users discard empty pods and cartridges in landfills. Because these products contain lithium-ion batteries, improper disposal contributes to fires in garbage trucks, transfer stations, recycling facilities, and landfills. Those fires can destroy waste collection vehicles—costing roughly $450,000 to replace a single truck—disrupt municipal operations, and create unnecessary hazards for sanitation workers and waste facility staff who handle these materials every day. 

Although disposable vapes are often marketed as convenient alternatives to cigarettes, they're creating a new generation of nicotine users while simultaneously introducing an entirely new waste stream. Every device contains valuable recyclable materials alongside hazardous components that require specialized handling. That's why vape waste isn't simply an environmental issue—it's also a public health, product design, infrastructure, and systems challenge. Solving it will require those sectors to work together rather than addressing each issue in isolation. 

3. Maine just implemented a law where each person that returns a vape to a collection point receives a $2 incentive. Could you see a refundable deposit working in New York City and being enough of an incentive to get people to dispose of their vapes responsibly?

I think deposit systems have a lot of potential. They encourage people to return their devices instead of throwing them away, and the added upfront cost may also help reduce youth use by creating an additional barrier to purchase. Maine's deposit program is part of a broader effort to address vape waste, including one of the country's first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for e-cigarettes. It's an exciting step forward, but it also raises some important implementation questions, particularly around enforcement. 

In New York City, it's estimated that roughly 90% of disposable vapes being used are products that aren't legally authorized for sale. While I believe manufacturers should ultimately help fund collection and recycling infrastructure, that becomes much more challenging when a significant portion of the market operates outside traditional regulatory systems. EPR also becomes more complex when policies are implemented state by state rather than federally. That raises practical questions about who is ultimately responsible for managing those products at the end of their life. 

I think Maine's program will provide valuable lessons that other states can learn from, and I'm excited to see how it evolves. The broader challenge is designing systems that are practical, enforceable, and adaptable across different regulatory environments. 

4. Do you see Extended Producer Responsibility laws working to address vape waste? What must be included and what stakeholders should be targeted to work the most efficiently? 

I think Extended Producer Responsibility is the most automatic response to vape waste- their products created a novel waste challenge; they should be responsible for paying to clean up their product’s mess. Having said that, and as I mentioned before, there isn’t a federal policy 

and vape flavor bans are state by state making EPR incredibly difficult when preferred flavored products are brought across borders. Furthermore, it is unclear how there may be an EPR policy when so many of the popular devices are being illegally produced and shipped into the country. Effective programs will require collaboration across manufacturers, retailers, local, state and

federal governments, waste management organizations, recyclers, public health experts, and community organizations. 

5. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has a goal to recycle 85% of all the state's waste streams by 2050. Currently, less than 1% of vapes are properly recycled in New York state. In your opinion, what laws or regulations would have to be implemented to reach this goal? 

From what I've seen, collection isn't the biggest challenge: processing is. Communities are generally willing to participate when convenient collection opportunities exist. The bigger opportunity is investing in systems that can safely separate batteries, plastics, electronics, 

metals, and nicotine-containing components at scale. Clearer guidance around handling these products and continued investment in recycling infrastructure could help make collection efforts much more effective. If we are able to do so, I am optimistic that we can reach 85% vape recycling and waste diversion in 3-5 years. 

6. What role do you envision schools having when it comes to vape recycling? 

Schools sit at the intersection of youth vaping, public health, and environmental education. The educators I've spoken with are concerned about student vaping but are also balancing many competing priorities. I see schools playing an important role in education and awareness, helping students understand both the health and environmental impacts of these products while connecting them with safe disposal options when appropriate. 

7. What is the overall message that you want the public to know about vape waste and what are some actions that NYC residents can do right now to make a difference? 

The biggest message is simple: vape waste doesn't disappear just because we throw it away. Every single-use vape contains valuable recyclable materials, a lithium-ion battery, and potentially hazardous components that don't belong in household trash. Protecting sanitation workers and strengthening our waste systems is just as important as recovering those materials. People can help today by bringing spent vapes to collection events or approved collection programs whenever possible, spreading awareness, volunteering with local efforts, and encouraging continued investment in practical recycling solutions. Solving vape waste will take collaboration across communities, government, industry, and recyclers, but every conversation and every properly collected device helps move us in the right direction.

Check out Damian Aston’s website to see his other work! He can be contacted at damian@damianashton.com

Emma Delahanty was a NYC Civic Corps Member at the Sanitation Foundation supporting the Volunteer Team as a Community Outreach and Engagement Member. She has since joined the team as a Community Engagement Associate.