At Boulder High School, Assistant Principal Kristen Lewis faces a daily battle against the rising student addiction to e-cigarettes. In her office, she has a large cardboard box known as the “box of death,” where confiscated vape pens and other vaping products are stored. This box is filled with devices like Juuls, disposable nicotine pods, and even a lonely pack of Marlboro cigarettes.
Though smoking and vaping are prohibited on school grounds, Lewis and other staff members regularly find e-cigarettes in students’ hands or discover discarded vaping products scattered around the school and surrounding areas.
Vaping Waste: A Growing Problem
In the school parking lot, Lewis often picks up discarded packaging. “This one is an Orion vape device,” she notes, spotting it on the ground. “Yep, more Juul pods,” she says as she finds more vape waste along Boulder Creek and in the yards of homes across from the school. The widespread trash highlights how deeply vaping has integrated into students’ lives. “It has become an epidemic in our schools, not just here at Boulder High, but nationwide,” Lewis says.
Colorado’s Vaping Problem
In 2018, Colorado topped the list for teen vaping, and Boulder is one of the hotspots. This surge in vaping has not only raised health concerns but has also created significant environmental issues due to discarded vape pens and pods. Disposable pods, which contain nicotine liquid, are often attached to vape pens — small devices resembling pens or even flash drives. In 2017, more than 16 million of these devices were sold in the U.S., excluding the disposable pods sold in packs.
The disposal of these products is becoming a major problem for waste managers and school administrators.
Boulder’s Response to Vaping Waste
Boulder’s community is addressing the vaping waste issue head-on. Schools, along with local health and waste management departments, have created a website with information about e-cigarettes, vaping, and proper disposal methods. In November, Boulder voters approved a 40% tax on all electronic smoking devices, including vape pens and disposable pods.
Custodian Allen Chavez, who works at Boulder High, regularly finds discarded vape pods in unusual places, including between furniture cushions and even in the walls of school bathrooms. Chavez says students often deny their involvement, despite the evidence.
Proper Disposal of Vaping Products
Boulder County’s hazardous materials program manager, Shelly Fuller, emphasizes that none of the components of e-cigarettes should be thrown away in the trash. Vapers should bring their used devices to recycling or hazardous waste centers. At the Boulder County Recycling Center, vaping-related waste has seen a sharp increase. Fuller shows a bucket filled with e-cigarette items, a new addition to the waste stream that started about two years ago.
When people bring items like used paint or household chemicals to the facility, they sometimes include vaporizers, pods, and batteries. Fuller explains that the components of e-cigarettes — such as lithium-ion batteries and nicotine pods — must be processed separately due to their hazardous nature. Nicotine is an acute hazardous waste that can be lethal in small doses, posing significant risks to both humans and animals.
Environmental Contamination and Health Risks
A study of high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area revealed significant environmental contamination caused by vaping waste. High-income schools showed large amounts of Juul-related waste, while lower-income schools had a different mix of waste items. In addition to vaping products, discarded cigarette butts, flavored cigars, and cannabis waste were found.
Vaping waste has also contributed to accidental nicotine poisoning. From 2013 to 2018, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center received nearly 250 calls regarding nicotine poisoning, with more than half involving children under five. The candy-like e-liquid flavors attract both children and pets, increasing the likelihood of accidental ingestion or skin absorption.
A single Juul pod contains nicotine equivalent to 20 cigarettes, and the liquid inside pods may also contain heavy metals such as lead, tin, and nickel. Improper disposal of these products can lead to toxic substances leaching into the environment, especially as e-cigarette batteries degrade.
The E-Waste Crisis
John Volckens, an environmental health researcher at Colorado State University, points out that discarded e-cigarettes contribute to the growing problem of e-waste. “As the battery degrades, the compounds in the battery can leach into nearby water sources,” he says. Discarded e-cigarettes and pods do not simply disappear — they become part of a larger waste issue.
Despite these concerns, some vaping advocates downplay the environmental risks. Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, argues that vaping waste is minimal compared to household waste. He believes it’s the responsibility of consumers to dispose of vaping products properly.
Juul’s Position
Juul, the market leader, declined interview requests. However, its website states that Juul pods are not meant to be refilled and can be disposed of in the trash, a stance contrary to Boulder County’s advice. Juul recommends that the battery-powered base devices be disposed of similarly to other electronics, like cell phones.
A New Challenge
Stephanie Faren, director of health services for the Boulder Valley School District, says that the issue of vaping waste is something many people have not fully considered. “This is a whole new thing that I don’t think many people have even given any thought to,” she says.
