Vapes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) came out as a safer way to enjoy tobacco products. Instead of lighting up, the device creates a vapor from e-liquid, a mixture of chemicals, flavorings, and nicotine or THC. 

Because a vape, aka e-cigarette, doesn’t depend on combustion to deliver the nicotine, it was promoted as a safer alternative. Charge the e-cigarette’s battery, add e-liquid, and press the button to activate the heating coil. The user inhales the vapor through the mouthpiece and into the lungs.

The CDC reports that 6.9% of all adults 18 or older use e-cigarettes or vapes. An alarming 24.7% of 12th graders have engaged in nicotine vaping in the past month. Many vape pens have a lifespan of a few months to a year. Disposable e-cigarettes last no more than a couple of weeks. What happens when they stop working and need to be recycled?

Vape Cartridge and E-Cigarette E-Waste: A Growing Problem

With so many vape cartridges and e-cigarettes being used each year, the waste they generate is concerning. It’s estimated that more than 840 million vaping devices are trashed or recycled each year. 

Every e-cigarette contains materials like copper, which is a valuable resource. Some brands also contain heavy metals such as antimony, chromium, lead, and nickel. The e-liquid corrodes internal components, leaching the heavy metals in the process.

Researchers found unsafe levels of lead and nickel in three of the brands they tested. It’s uncertain exactly how many brands pose a risk of heavy metal emissions.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries should never go into the trash. If one of these batteries is accidentally punctured or ruptured by equipment such as a compactor, a process known as thermal runaway can cause a fire. 

Thermal runaway occurs when the battery’s temperature increases due to overcharging, damage, manufacturing defects, or exposure to extreme hot or cold external temperatures. Overheated batteries, flammable gases, or short circuits caused by damage can trigger a fire. 

Plastic components are also found in e-cigarettes and vape cartridges. They release microplastics into the environment. Proper recycling is vital to reducing the abundance of microplastics in the ground, air, and water. 

The final concern is the THC, nicotine, and chemicals found in vape cartridges. Those are hazardous materials. Throwing out a partially filled cartridge results in the liquid ending up in the soil and groundwater within a landfill, or on the road if the cartridge’s components drip from a truck during transportation.

The Consequences of Improper Disposal

Many states have yet to enact laws regarding e-cigarette disposal. While e-liquid is hazardous waste, it’s not something people recycle. Too much of it ends up in the trash. 

In a landfill, there’s a chance an animal ingests some of the liquid in a vape that was improperly thrown out. THC and nicotine are dangerous to animals.

An adult mouse weighs approximately 20 grams. If a mouse is scavenging in a landfill and drinks e-liquid, just 0.06 milligrams are enough to kill that mouse. A crow eats that dying mouse. The crow has now ingested dangerous amounts of nicotine, too.

THC, found in marijuana, may not kill an animal, but it could impact their reactions and motor skills. An animal like a raccoon that ingested THC in vaping liquid could become aggressive with humans or stray into a road and cause crashes. This poses safety risks.

Every vape pen or cartridge also contributes to pollution from heavy metals and microplastics. Lithium-ion battery fires are a risk when equipment crushes batteries from discarded devices. These situations are why it’s so important to recycle them correctly.

Difficulty With E-Cigarette and Vape Recycling

Disposing of vapes and cartridges is essential, but many states lack laws to address it. The e-cigarette and battery are not processed in the same way. E-vape liquid must be processed like household cleaners and detergents, while the pens are processed as small electronics with recyclable batteries.

As of 2025, only California has proposed laws banning disposable e-cigarettes and ensuring that other vapes are classified as household hazardous waste. This means that any vape cartridges and pens must be recycled at a facility that accepts hazardous waste. 

Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon have enacted or introduced EPR legislation.

• Maine – Passed in June 2025, the “Electronic Smoking Device Stewardship Plan” implements a program for collecting and recycling unwanted vaping devices, and manufacturers of vaping devices must participate in the program financially.
• New Jersey – S4271 was introduced in the Senate in March 2025. It’s still pending, but the idea is the same as Maine’s. Producers of e-vaping equipment become responsible for financing recycling programs.
• New York – S2223 follows the same goals as Maine’s bill. Introduced in March of 2025, it’s been referred to the Assembly Health Committee.
• Oregon – Starting January 1, 2026, e-cigarettes and vaping equipment are covered under the E-Cycles program. This requires producers to fund and manage collections and recycling.

For now, most states use existing hazardous-waste and battery-recycling regulations. Treat your e-cigarettes and vaping devices as hazardous waste and recycle them that way. Disposal often means taking dangerous waste to a local recycling facility after making an appointment. 

You might have to wait for a yearly hazardous waste community event. If those don’t help you, we have a list of options that could be incredibly useful.

The Best Approaches for Vape Cartridge and E-Cigarette Recycling

Support retailers that take back used vapes. Some offer drop-off bins that make it easy to recycle used vapes when you’re shopping for new ones. That’s the best option, but it’s not the only one.

Choose brands that offer take-back programs. Here are a few options currently available to vape users.

• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): The DEA holds a yearly National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and vape cartridges are accepted during these events. You must remove the lithium battery first, however.
• Fernway: Fernway started the East Coast’s first vape recycling program in 2022. Recycle with your local dispensary in states like Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Look for drop boxes in participating retailers.
• IQOS or VEEV (Philip Morris International): While no takeback program is offered in the U.S., there are programs available in Canada. Philip Morris recommends that U.S. consumers go to their local hazardous waste facility.
• R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company: R.J. Reynolds partners with Call2Recycle and g2. Call2Recycle has collection bins across the U.S. Recycle by mail with g2 after ordering a recycling envelope.

Recycle Nation has an updated list of local businesses and facilities that accept vape cartridges and e-cigarettes. Look up your ZIP code with “e-cig cartridges” for the item. If you don’t find any locations in your area, your local dispensary is where you should go to learn how to recycle vape pens and cartridges.