California bill would ban single-use nicotine and cannabis vapes, both sources of beach pollution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2025
Contact:
Tony Hackett, Policy Associate, Californians Against Waste, tony@cawrecycles.org, (916) 601-7205
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In an effort to reduce the proliferation of discarded electronic waste in California, Asm. Jacqui Irwin introduced AB 762 on Wednesday to ban single-use disposable vapes in the state. The bill’s authors were joined by recyclers, college students and environmental advocates who support the effort to stop beach pollution and electronic waste at a news conference on Wednesday.
“Disposable vapes have become the new poster child for our single-use, throwaway society,” said Fiona Hines, CALPIRG legislative advocate. “Some of these vapes come with digital touch-screens, even though they’re designed to be thrown out after a week.”
According to CALPIRG’s Vape Waste report, Americans throw out 4.5 disposable vapes per second. The newest models come with touch screens and installed games, even though they’re unable to be refilled once they run out of nicotine or cannabis e-liquid. Tobacco products – mostly cigarette butts – have polluted beaches for decades. Now, trendier disposable vapes pose a more permanent pollution threat. While cigarette trash takes 10 years to degrade, the plastic in disposable vapes is not biodegradable, and will never fully leave the environment..
“Disposable vapes are ruining our beaches, environment, and public health. I’m pleased to sponsor a ban,” said Asm. Irwin, author of the bill. “We have enough single-use waste and public health concerns without vapes littering our state.”
“Disposable vapes have batteries which can’t be removed, and contain residue hazardous waste,” said Joe La Mariana, RethinkWaste executive director. "Because of these batteries, disposable vapes are difficult to recycle and can pose a fire risk to our facilities. We need to make it easier to recycle at scale, not riskier."
"Every second, 4.5 disposable vapes are tossed away—leaving behind toxic waste, fire hazards, and a massive drain on our planet’s resources,” said Tony Hackett, Californians Against Waste Policy Associate. “These products aren’t just a public health risk; they’re an environmental time bomb. California has led on waste reduction before, and it’s time to do it again by banning single-use vapes and shifting to safer, more sustainable alternatives."
“The California Product Stewardship Council believes that manufacturers should take responsibility, including financially, for the end of life of the products that they create,” said Doug Kobold, Executive Director with the California Product Stewardship Council. “On occasion, the most problematic products and the problems that those products cause require urgent action to protect the health and wellbeing of our environment, communities, and families. We believe that a ban on these unrecyclable single-use vapes will reduce the dangers and costs these devices pose to local government waste authorities and facility operators.”
Vape waste pollutes California's beaches and poses a threat to wildlife, who may ingest the toxic e-liquid residue or choke on large pieces of plastic. Americans throw out 500 pounds of e-waste each second, and the non-removable batteries in disposable vapes make them difficult to recycle, adding to the pileup. If passed, AB000 would ban the sale of these single-use products in California to reduce the harm to nature and wildlife, which relies on clean open space to hunt, migrate and mate.
“Nothing we use for a few days should pollute the environment and harm wildlife for centuries to come,” said Hines. "We hope the state legislature moves swiftly to reduce this harmful contributor to our larger e-waste problem. Thanks to Assemblymember Irwin, we can envision cleaner beaches and healthier wildlife in our state's future."