Residents wanting to get rid of their vape cartridges, batteries and bottles for free and safe disposal can do so Saturday, Aug. 21, at the St. Vrain Community Hub, 515 Coffman St., in Longmont.
The VapeAward Take Back Event is where vaping devices and e-cigarettes containing lithium-ion batteries as well as e-liquid and pods will be accepted from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a Boulder County news release.
The Boulder County Hazardous Materials Management Facility is hosting the county’s first ever vape waste drop off event in partnership with the Boulder County Public Health Tobacco Prevention Partnership or TEPP.
Residents of Boulder County, city and county of Broomfield, and town of Erie are invited to drop off their vape waste. Drop-offs must be scheduled and time slots available in 30-minute intervals at boco.org/vapetakeback.
Because e-cigarette and e-liquid waste are considered hazardous waste, they should never be thrown in the regular trash or flushed down a sink, the news release states. Residents should instead deposit the items at an appropriate hazardous waste facility or at special take back events, such as the one scheduled for Saturday, according to the news release.
E-cigarettes, including rechargeable batteries and cartridges and bottles that contain e-liquids (liquid nicotine mixtures), can pose a threat to human health and the environment if they are not properly disposed of, the news release states.
“E-cigarette waste is potentially as more serious environmental threat than cigarette butts since e-cigarettes introduce plastic, nicotine salts, heavy metals and flammable lithium-ion batteries into waterways and soil and to wildlife,” said Rachel Freeman, Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership Program Coordinator at Boulder County Public Health, in the news release. “If thrown in the trash or flushed into the sewer system, the nicotine solution in an e-liquid product can seep into the ground or water and become a danger for wildlife and humans.”
Residents who need more details about the event should contact Amanda Trinh at [email protected] or call 303-413-7567.
