If you have an interest in the preservation of our environment, you may already be aware of the fact that used cigarette butts make up as much as 38 percent of the world’s litter — approximately 4.5 trillion butts each year are discarded in all. Perhaps you even tossed a butt or two out of your car’s window when you smoked. Although you might suppose that e-cigarettes could cut down on waste, single-use items such as cartomizers and disposable e-cigarettes will take up an increasing amount of landfill space as e-cigarettes continue to become more popular. What can you do to help prevent your used e-cigarette components from contributing to the world’s e-waste? In this article, we’ll explain how to recycle an e-cigarette and dispose of its various parts properly.

Recycle E-Cigarette Cartridges

An e-cigarette recycling program can be a good way to earn a few new customers while doing what’s right for the environment. We’ve found two companies that offer free products in exchange for recycling e-cigarette cartridges and batteries made by any company: Green Smoke and Mistic. Mistic (link removed; company is closed) requires a minimum shipment of 50 used e-cigarette cartridges and will accept any used batteries you might have at the same time. In exchange for your used e-cigarette cartridges, Mistic will send a free five-pack of of new cartridges via USPS mail.

Green Smoke recycles e-cigarette cartridges only, requires a slightly larger minimum shipment and doesn’t accept batteries. On the other hand, Green Smoke’s e-cigarette recycling program is a little more flexible and can actually help you earn a free or deeply discounted e-cigarette kit over time. Green Smoke also pays your shipping fees. To get started, you’ll need 80 used e-cigarette cartridges. Call 1-888-224-1345 for details. Green Smoke will arrange the shipping, and upon receiving your used cartridges will give you 26 customer loyalty points. You can redeem your points immediately for a pack of five cartridges or save them to buy something larger another time.

It can be costly to run an e-cigarette recycling program. Going green can earn your company high marks with the environmental watchdogs and distributing free refill cartridges might earn you a few new customers. In the long run, though, you’re probably going to lose money. As a result, there have been quite a few companies who have announced e-cigarette recycling programs only to remove them later. Before sending your used e-cigarette components anywhere, call or email to confirm they’ll be accepted.

Recycle E-Cigarette Batteries

If you don’t have any used e-cigarette cartridges but still want to recycle e-cigarette batteries, you have a few options. Try Call2Recycle to run a search by ZIP code for local companies that accept rechargeable batteries for recycling. In addition, many Radio Shack and Best Buy locations accept batteries. In fact, at most Best Buy locations you can find a recycling kiosk immediately inside the front door. Call first to confirm, but the Best Buy website seems to indicate that they accept virtually all forms of e-waste. By recycling your e-cigarette batteries, you’ll do your part to help prevent hazardous heavy metals from seeping out of landfills and potentially entering water supplies.

Recycle Disposable E-Cigarettes

We know of one company that recycles disposable e-cigarettes: NJOY. Unfortunately, at the time of writing NJOY only recycles its own “NJOY King” e-cigarettes. However, you’ll get a free NJOY King for every eight you recycle, which strikes us as a pretty good deal if that’s your preferred brand.

Recycle E-Liquid Bottles

You can recycle glass e-liquid bottles in the same way as other glass products. If your favorite e-liquid comes in plastic bottles, check the number on the bottom. Plastic products should always be imprinted with a number — one through seven — indicating the type of plastic used. If your community recycling program accepts that type of plastic, you can recycle your e-liquid bottles with any other household plastics. For safer handling, it’s advisable to rinse the nicotine residue out of your empty e-liquid bottles before recycling them.

About the Author: Jason Artman

Jason Artman founded eCig One after switching from smoking to vaping in 2010 and has been a professional writer and SEO consultant since 2007. His work has been featured on television and in leading publications, and it has been referenced in numerous peer-reviewed journals. Jason works with leading vape brands around the world to generate targeted web traffic and increase their revenue.