East Renfrewshire woman wants disposable vapes banned after pulling them out dog's mouth

Laura Young is sick of finding e-cigarettes almost every day and thinks they must go or be better recycled.

The 26-year-old, from East Renfrewshire plans to challenge companies to find a solution after they “exploded onto the litter scene”.

Newsquest, Colin Mearns (Image: Newsquest, Colin Mearns)

It comes as vaping reached record levels in Britain with an estimated 4.3 million people being active vapers, according to a report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Data suggests that 8.3% of adults in England, Wales and Scotland use vapes as they deliver nicotine in a similar way to cigarettes.

Now Laura wants to see people use rechargeable vapes and step away from the disposable options.

Sourced (Image: Sourced)

Sourced (Image: Sourced)

Laura told the Glasgow Times: “Vapes have just exploded onto the litter scene as it has become extremely popular.

"I’m not against vaping, but we can’t keep consuming like this, it is so irresponsible.

“I think disposable vapes should be banned or companies need to at least come up with a better way of recycling them.

“We are in a climate emergency. Every bit of material we use is precious so to just throw metals and batteries away like this is wrong.

“I am picking them up almost every day and had to take them from my dog on walks. Also, young kids could also pick them up.

“I am meeting with my SNP MP Kirsten Oswald to see what the next steps are in challenging the problem.”

Newsquest, Colin Mearns (Image: Newsquest, Colin Mearns)

Discarded disposable vaping products are made from three key parts including the battery, the pod and the coil.

This means they can have devastating long-term climate impacts in Glasgow, as they last in the environment for years, according to Zero Waste Scotland.

Laura is now preparing to get her PhD in environmental research and wants people to be aware of the effects of vaping.

Laura said: “I’ve been on a journey to see what I can do to reduce my own waste and be more sustainable and now I want to campaign for bigger changes.

“I feel really passionate about waste and consumption and the impact it has on people.

“It is good that people are using them instead of smoking, but we still don’t know the full health implications that vapes cause.

“They are marketed as a fun little lifestyle habit that is just fruity air but it actually has a lot more to it.

“They contain a battery which needs to be disposed of responsibly because they can start a fire if not.”

Sourced (Image: Sourced)

Kim Young, litter and fly-tipping manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: "Any form of littering is an unacceptable, anti-social behaviour that is damaging to the environment and to the economy.

“Single-use items such as cigarette filters and vaping products can last in our environment for years and years, so it is vital that we make sure these are disposed of correctly.

“Vapes should be disposed of as waste electricals at your local recycling centre or WEEE collection point.

"If you can remove the battery, you can use a battery recycling point. Please never use general waste or recycling bins due to fire risk and contamination risk if it leaks.”

Electronic cigarettes contain significantly fewer chemicals associated with cancer, according to the Scottish Government.

However, the government also warned the vapes are not risk-free as there is still a lot left unknown about their long-term effects.