Technology & Culture

Engaging in Sustainable Vaping

Choosing eco-friendly vaping options, especially as trends and the vaping industry continue to grow, is just one prime example of how to engage in more sustainable habits.

by Toby Kilroy
Feb 8, 2021

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Once adults, most people have the wonderful opportunity of choice. From the food they eat in the morning, to the time they go to bed, and of course, the vices they decide to indulge in. However, with many of these choices, there are usually implications on how they will affect the environment.

When it comes to vaping, several choices are more sustainable and better for the planet. Choosing eco-friendly vaping options, especially as trends and the vaping industry continue to grow, is just one prime example of how to engage in more sustainable habits. To really make a difference for the environment though, it’s important to find even more ways to engage in sustainable vaping.

Understanding The Importance of Sustainability

One of the best ways to develop stronger sustainable vaping habits is to familiarize yourself with the reasons behind the need to be more eco-friendly with your everyday choices. Being aware of the issues and why a change is needed is half the battle. One major reason to care more about using eco-friendly vaping tips (and beyond) is climate change.

Climate change is nothing to take lightly, even if some try to dispute this issue by pointing towards colder weather in certain regions. Not only is it important to distinguish climate from weather, but general climate data also shows us that greenhouse gases are slowly warming up our global temperatures. Although we may not see the physical evidence of these harmful changes on the planet right now doesn’t mean we won’t start seeing more and more negative effects as time goes on.

Make The Switch

Some people who use vapes or e-cigarettes typically use them as a replacement for traditional cigarettes. Some do it to better control the amount of nicotine they receive while smoking and others use vaping as a way to slowly transition away from smoking completely. Some people enjoy both vaping and smoking cigarettes. If you’ve been considering making the switch to vaping, it’s worth noting that it is much more sustainable than smoking cigarettes.

Unlike vaping, traditional cigarettes contribute a lot more to toxic litter waste. Cigarette butts are one-third of all litter in the UK. Cigarette litter contains harmful substances such as lead and arsenic and is not biodegrade, which has led to wildlife and even small children ingesting found cigarette butts and becoming extremely sick or even dying. And while disposable vape cartridges are also harmful to the environment, people are less likely to casually toss cartridges away. It’s also a lot easier to recycle vapes, e-cigarettes, and accessories.

If you’re still splitting your smoking habits between vaping devices and cigarettes or only smoke cigarettes in social settings, it’s time to make the switch. Switching to e-cigarettes exclusively, along with recycling as much as possible, can help ensure you’re making the most environmentally-conscious choice possible.

Research, Research, Research

One of the many responsibilities that come with the power of choice is researching the products you’re consuming. Just as you should research the kind of food you’re putting into your body each day, figuring out where your vaping products come from, what they’re made of, and the effect things such as shipping and packaging have on the environment is essential. Granted, it requires extra time and effort during the buying process, but it’s worth it if it means reducing your carbon footprint.

Furthermore, researching can be a great way to find and support local vaping companies as opposed to major vaping and smoking corporations. Shopping with local vape businesses is a great way to support your community and can make your vaping interests even more sustainable. Typically, ordering online from a random vaping corporation results in excessive emissions as they have to ship products to you, sometimes from different countries, thus contributing even more to greenhouse gases. When you consider how frequently people order things such as refills and other accessories, all those individual purchases ultimately add up and unfortunately, contribute to the climate change issues our planet faces.

At the end of the day, working towards a more sustainable vaping goal may not be easy or convenient, but it is necessary. Furthermore, regardless if a person vapes or not, reducing the harm on the planet should be everyone’s priority. This means committing to things such as researching the kind of vapes and cartridges you’re purchasing, including where and who you buy them from. It is also just as important to be educated and to educate others on the topic of climate change. There are plenty of opportunities to indulge in your habit without greatly affecting the planet. With the right choices and dedication to sustainability, it will be easier to take care of the planet and ultimately, yourself.

Photo Credit:

Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash

Toby Kilroy

Journalist at POTV

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Toby has been vaping since early 2012 and has used an array of devices and kit in that time. He sometimes writes up reviews but is often found with his head stuck in pages of code with a confused smile on his face. Toby also helps run his wife's site gethistory.co.uk and has two children. He sometimes fondly remembers having free time and occasionally manages to sneak away to put his head into a good book!