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Communities can't recycle or trash disposable e-cigarettes. So what happens to them?
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Law enforcement members of New York Sheriff's Joint Compliance Task Force (SJCTF) carry bags of confiscated vaping products, during a spot raid of a tobacco shop, Wednesday Sept. 27, 2023, in New York. Communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to get rid of millions of disposable e-cigarettes that are considered hazardous waste. The devices contain nicotine, lithium and other materials that cannot be reused or recycled. - photo by AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
WASHINGTON (AP) — With the growing popularity of disposable e-cigarettes, communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to safely get rid of millions of small, battery-powered devices that are considered hazardous waste. For years, the debate surrounding vaping largely centered on its risks for high school and middle school students enticed by flavors like gummy bear, lemonade and watermelon. But the recent shift toward e-cigarettes that can’t be refilled has created a new environmental dilemma.