Collection boxes and free postal parcels directly to the recycling center. These are some of the UK vejp companies' initiatives to increase the recycling of disposable cigarettes. But in Sweden, too, intensive work is underway to make vejping more sustainable.
"Right now, the ball is in the court of the authorities, who have to approve our model," says Marius Arnesen, CEO of e-cigarette provider Norse Impact.
Sales of disposable cigarettes are growing rapidly, not only in Sweden but worldwide. But at the same time, demands for sustainability are increasing. The environmental impacts of small lithium batteries ending up in ordinary trash cans or highly concentrated nicotine residues leaking from disposable vapes lying on the ground can be significant.
"Going slowly"
As previously reported by Vejpkollen companies in the UK has invested in various solutions, ranging from collection baskets in shops to direct delivery via the national postal service. But initiatives to boost single-use recycling are also taking place in Sweden. Both Vont and Norse Impact have developed models to make this possible. But progress is slow, says Marius Arnesen, CEO of Norse Impact, which supplies disposable vapes to, among others, Direkten.
"We've contracted with Bower for a single-use vape recycling program. They have a system in place and can actually start right away. But first we have to get everything ready from the authorities, the recycling process has to be approved from different sides before we can take the step fully. It will take as long as it takes" says Marius Arnesen, to Convenience Stores Sweden News.
"It is important that companies take responsibility"
Norwegian Norse Impact has grown rapidly in the Swedish market for rnicotine-free ecological productsIn 2022, Norse acquired Swedish Eurobrands Distribution (owner of Ciggebutikerna). Norse thus became one of the largest distributors of vejp products in Sweden and today has, among other things, supply agreements for disposable weapons with Direkten, a chain of 166 stores.
"Our goal is to offer products to replace harmful tobacco smoking. But for us it is also important to take environmental responsibility for the products." says Marius Arnesen.
Many different parts
A disposable model is made up of different parts that need to be assembled in different ways. The two key parts are the lithium battery and the e-liquid itself (which is embedded in a filling material to keep the system sealed). This makes a recycling process quite complicated: it involves batteries, which are regulated in one way, and nicotine, which is regulated in a completely different way. In addition, different nicotine variants may be labeled differently under the EU-wide CLP register, which in turn requires different measures depending on how toxic it is considered to be. The most common forms of nicotine in disposable devices are considered acutely toxic and require a handling permit under the Chemicals Act.
"All this means that recycling is far from free. There must be clear agreements. The authorities have to tell us what they want and then, of course, the customers have to agree," says Marius Arnesen.
Several methods of recycling
The recycling models that have recently emerged in United Kingdom is based on individual manufacturers taking responsibility for ensuring that disposables are collected and properly recycled. Companies like Totally Wicked provide their stores with collection boxes and work with recycler Veolia. The major Chinese manufacturer SMOORE (Vaporesso) has signed an agreement with Royal Mail to allow users to send their used disposables free of charge by post, directly to the recycling center. This scheme also includes a deposit reward in the form of a free e-cig for every 10 devices returned. However, such a reward system will not be possible in Sweden due to legislation, says Marius Arnesen.
"In the UK, they have different conditions, generally when it comes to harm reduction products. So it will be a different challenge to persuade customers to recycle here"
