BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 14, 2024
“Disposable e-cigarettes” may be a misnomer given that there is no easy way to get rid of them in Maine, where they create fire hazards at dumps and expose beaches and other public areas to hazardous chemicals. Many people don’t even realize that the disposable e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are considered hazardous waste by federal and state officials, said Matt Wellington, associate director of the Maine Public Health Association. Both the nicotine and the lithium-ion batteries that heat the product’s liquid into a vapor for inhaling are classified as hazardous waste, so they’re not meant to be thrown away in household trash or recycling. But with no options for disposal, that is causing problems at trash plants and in the environment throughout Maine.