Around 844 million vaping devices are thrown away worldwide each year, the equivalent in weight of six Eiffel Towers.
The devices are part of an “invisible” mountain of electronic waste that is dumped annually, including toys, charging cables, computer mice and headphones.
Waste is called “invisible” because consumers mindlessly throw it in the trash.
But these products contain valuable metals such as lithium and copper, according to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
These are the raw materials to make electric cars, wind turbines and batteries.
Around 844 million vaping devices are thrown away every year around the world, new figures reveal (file image)
This is equivalent in weight to six Eiffel Towers, according to researchers at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
Every year around nine million tonnes of “invisible” e-waste is thrown away around the world.
Calculations revealed that around 1.8 billion computer keyboards and mice, 910 million remote controls and headphones and 3.2 billion electronic toys are disposed of as waste.
The number of spilled vapes is likely even higher than the estimate calculated by the UN based on 2020 figures.
Vaping use around the world is growing exponentially, making even the astonishing comparison to the famous French monument outdated.
In the UK alone there is evidence that the number of vapes thrown away each year quadrupled in 2023 from 2022 to 5 million a week, according to recent research by Material Focus.
Recycling facilities for vaporizers are patchy and councils warn that discarded devices can cause fires.
The UK government is reviewing updated regulations to ensure the vaping sector helps fund the collection and treatment of its discarded products.
The number of spilled vapes is likely even higher than the estimate calculated by the UN based on 2020 figures.
In addition to vaporizers, the study also found that 950 million kg of cables containing precious and easily recyclable copper were discarded last year, enough to circle the Earth 107 times.
Many cables are stored in homes, perhaps set aside for possible future use.
The raw materials value of e-waste generated globally in 2019 was estimated at £46 billion, most of it attributed to iron, copper and gold components.
Of the overall total, one sixth or £7.7 billion in material value each year falls into the category of invisible e-waste.
Other examples of invisible and common electronic waste in homes include toothbrushes, shavers, external units and accessories, headphones and earphones, remote controls, speakers, LED lights, power tools, home medical equipment, heat and smoke detectors and many others .
Pascal Leroy, CEO of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum, who commissioned the study, said: “Invisible electronic waste goes unnoticed due to its nature or appearance, leading consumers to overlook its recyclable potential”.
“People tend to recognize household electrical products as those that they plug in and use regularly.
“But many people don’t know what waste category auxiliary, peripheral, specialist, leisure and leisure products fall into and how to recycle them.”
Magdalena Charytanowicz of the WEEE Forum said: ‘Unfortunately, invisible e-waste often goes unnoticed by those who dispose of it because it is not seen as e-waste.
‘We need to change that and raising awareness is a big part of the answer.
“A lot of efforts and progress have been made around plastic pollution and people are now more aware of it, especially with a UN treaty on plastics in the works for 2024. We hope the same will happen in the field of e-waste” .
