Are E-Cigarettes Environmentally Friendly?

Are Electronic Cigarettes Environmentally Friendly?

Electronic cigarettes or vaping always trigger controversy, mostly because of the underlying stigma. When someone sees smoke, they automatically think about the harmful effects of cigarettes. However, electronic cigarettes operate in a drastically different way. Vaping creates vapors while burning cigarettes creates smoke.

Vapors are not only a lot safer than smoke, but also more environmentally friendly compared to “real” cigarettes.

Below are only a few of the many reasons why.

Disclaimer: I do not smoke. I don’t smoke cigarettes and I don’t “vape”. Furthermore, I am not connected, nor will I ever be, with any company selling electronic cigarettes.

The only reason why I write this article is to create a userfriendly article with all the facts about smoking and its environmental impact.

Are E-Cigarettes Environmentally Friendly?

Table of Contents

#1: No Cigarette Butts

According to studies, cigarette butts cause more marine problems than straws in the oceans. Let’s face it, smokers have a bad habit of tossing cigarette butts everywhere. Even if its adequately disposed of, it will end up in landfills. Then, the toxins that are still in the cigarette butts will leech to the soil. Vaping doesn’t require the use of filters or butts. Hence, it can help reduce the number of cigarette butts that end up in the ground and ocean.

All in all, it helps reduce waste.

Want even more insight on how much waste that is being produced by the tobacco industry?

This article from National Geographic is quite interesting. As it is too long (3000 words++), I will give you a quick summary of the key takeaways (or fun facts):

– The city of San Fransisco spends roughly 8 million USD cleaning up cigarette buns every year!

– A total of 6.5 trillion cigarettes are bought and consumed every year.

– Plastic waste is not the only problem with cigarette buns. In fact, many of them leach nicotine and heavy metals as well. This creates quite some damage to the nature as well as animals.

#2: No Second-Hand Smoke

When vaping, the people around you may appreciate that you are not producing second-hand smoke toxins. However, the environment will appreciate it too. According to this research, e-cig vapors have significantly less harmful toxins than cigarettes. In fact, it is estimated that vaping only produces 1/20 toxins found in traditional cigarettes.

Even then, the toxins produced by vaping are well below concerning levels. As a result, switching to vaping can help the environment as you’re not adding air pollutants.

#3: Reusable Batteries

Using cigarettes creates a lot more waste from cigarette butts, packaging and disposable lighters. On the other hand, vaping makes use of reusable batteries.

These batteries are chargeable, which you can run for a very long time. As a result, vaping reduces waste production significantly.

#4: Tree Preservation

It is estimated that 600 million trees are cut down each year to produce cigarettes. Keep in mind that most of these products are non-reusable such as cigarette butts and paper that’s burned.

Aside from that, trees play an essential role in the environment that we all enjoy today. Most importantly, trees convert greenhouse gases into harmless oxygen. Always remember that greenhouse gases are one of the leading causes for the temperature to rise, which can then lead to climate change.

Vaping primarily makes use of reusable such as plastics and metals. In other words, it can significantly help in the conservation of resources when compared to cigarettes. Also, it dramatically helps in the preservation of trees, which are vital for keeping climate change away.

#5: More Time Outdoors

Outdoor activities help you appreciate the environment. When you appreciate the environment, it’s only natural that you want to preserve it. However, outdoor pursuits typically include hiking, jogging, climbing, and other physical activities. As a smoker, these activities are hard to do due to decreased lung capacity. Vaping is near harmless to the lungs. As a result, you get to enjoy outdoor activities and nature. This also means that you will naturally like to keep the environment the way it is.

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