The federal government has released details of its plan to tackle vaping in Australia, starting with an importation vape ban of single-use disposable vapes from 1st January 2024.
This will be followed by additional actions across 2024, including restrictions on personal importations, as well a reduction in nicotine content and vape flavours, as well as packaging changes.
For months, stakeholders have been urging all levels of government to take swift and decisive action on this waste stream, given the negative impact it has been having in waste management. Many of these disposable vapes contain an encapsulated lithium-ion battery, even though the devices are not designed to be recharged, or refilled. Not only is it a wasted resource, but it’s creates a daily game of Russian roulette for industry workers.
Despite the welcome ban on disposable vapes, which is expected to reduce the amount going to landfill, there is growing concern that unless a national disposal scheme for vapes is also introduced, Australian’s will still not know where to put used vapes. Legacy stock and the inevitable future black market will both need to be addressed to avoid reigniting the issue of fires, which have been causing damage to bins, trucks and facilities on a regular basis.
Legitimate vapes that are primarily in use to aid with smoking cessation will also need to have a disposal scheme. Vape batteries are currently not included in the Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) scheme for nicotine-based vaping products. The recommendation to the TGA is that all new prescription vapes being legally imported (or produced), should have a user-removable battery.
Naturally, it would make sense for vapes to plug into an existing stewardship scheme, such as the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS), but with the submissions for the “wired for change” consultation being published earlier this week, it seems clear that vapes are not included in scope for the evolution of this program.
Therefore, it would seem that B-Cycle seems to be the best option to address vape disposal in the future. With an existing network of 4,400 drop-off centres nationally, and with appropriate funding, B-Cycle should be able to ramp up to accept the quantity of vapes that will still invariably be left in the market.
With a reported 90 million vapes hitting Australian shores in 2022, single-use, disposable vapes have wreaked havoc in Australia in the past 12 months. Environmental groups and the resource recovery industry alike have been concerned by the damage that this new waste stream has caused to our environment and valuable facilities.
One thing is clear, we cannot afford another Boxing Day facility fire like that which occurred in Hume, ACT in 2022, while we wait for January 1st to come along.
Shannon Mead is the executive director of No More Butts