"Make these polluting products so expensive that nobody buys them anymore"

Nothing is as popular in the vaping scene as the new disposable cigarettes. A particularly popular model is the "Elf Bar 600 Disposable Cigarette" in the flavors pink lemon, apple peach or simply cola. It is available online for eight euros. The usual price at gas stations or in the supermarket is just under ten euros.

The devices are filled with two milliliters of liquid. The number “600” represents puffs or puffs of cigarettes that the smoker or vaper can inhale from it. In terms of quantity, this should correspond to about two packs of tobacco cigarettes.

All these details would hardly be worth mentioning if it were only a matter of fashion for e-cigarettes. The standard e-cigarette heats flavored liquids, often containing nicotine, and is considered an alternative to smoking tobacco. The medium-sized e-cigarette industry never tires of emphasizing that this is a type of smoking that is less harmful to health – which is also confirmed by doctors from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, for example.

But now devices are suddenly appearing in large numbers on the market, which do not raise any completely new questions for health policy, but which cause an environmental problem of unimagined dimensions. "According to our estimates, more than five million cigarettes are imported to Germany every month," says the Alliance for Tobacco-Free Enjoyment lobby association on the number of disposable cigarettes. Disposable devices are expected to account for around 40 percent of the total industry turnover of 575 million euros this year.

Each pen-like disposable e-cigarette contains a pre-charged and non-rechargeable lithium-ion battery. For example, 550 mAh is specified as the power, that is 550 milliampere hours. The battery drives a coil, which in turn vaporizes the liquid, including the aroma additive and nicotine, and allows it to be inhaled. The technology is simple: the negative pressure that occurs when you pull activates the device automatically. After use, according to the advertising, it is “simply thrown away”.

Millions of small batteries end up in household waste or in the environment. “The electronic waste these products cause is shocking and unacceptable,” responded Burkhard Blienert, the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, when asked about the phenomenon. And sends the demand afterwards: "We need a sensible environmental policy answer quickly." However, the SPD politician does not say how action could be taken against the new one-way steamer. The Federal Environment Ministry is responsible for this.

In addition to the electronic waste from the disposable vaping devices, plastic parts such as the housing, the tank or the mouthpiece as well as the cotton wool soaked with the liquid are left over as residual waste. The pure production costs can only be estimated: Industry experts call two to three euros. The most expensive part of the device is the lithium-ion battery.

In Germany, alcohol consumption has increased, and there is more gambling. But there is more smoking again. Adults in particular smoke more frequently.

Source: WELT / Antje Diedrichs

The environmentalists are more specific on the subject. "In the long term, this product should be banned at European level," demands Thomas Fischer, Head of Circular Economy at Deutsche Umwelthilfe. If the European Union bans plastic straws, then it should do so even more with "these completely insane disposable products".

Product bans are not possible at national level. In the short term, however, action can also be taken here. "By levying a tax on disposable e-cigarettes, these environmentally harmful products can be made so expensive that nobody buys them anymore," says Fischer. After all, such a compulsory levy on alcopops, mixed alcohol drinks, worked wonders. "After a short time, the trend drinks that had come under criticism disappeared just as quickly as they had become a mass product," says Fischer. This is also to be hoped for disposable cigarettes.

It would also be conceivable for retailers to be obliged to take back disposable devices, as stipulated in the EU Directive on electronic waste. A compulsory deposit is also possible. The e-cigarette industry is already anticipating this development in a pilot project. Some retailers offer a return system in their shops. The lobby association promises a “feed to the recycling cycle”. In any case, the association argues, the industry is counting on smokers switching from disposable cigarettes to refillable e-cigarettes after an initial phase.

Youth advocates and health politicians are also alarmed because of the great popularity of disposable vaporizers among young people. The legal situation is clear: e-cigarettes and the corresponding liquids may not be sold to buyers under the age of 18.

But the situation on site is often different. The alliance for tobacco-free enjoyment reports on a case from Itzehoe in Schleswig-Holstein, in which a retailer sold e-cigarettes to young people. During an inspection by the authorities, the dealer was initially warned and later threatened with a fine of 75 euros. In terms of youth protection, much stricter action must be taken, the association demands.

The drug commissioner Blienert wants to enforce strict monitoring of sales at newspaper kiosks, in supermarkets or online shops. The responsible regulatory authorities would have to "take a closer look and, if necessary, impose a hefty fine," he says. The health hazards of e-cigarettes are still unexplored in detail. This concerns, for example, the effects of the chemicals in the liquids as well as nicotine on the smokers' lungs.

Most disposable e-cigarettes come from China. The best-known manufacturer in the country is the Elf Bar company. The devices are imported from German wholesalers or purchased directly from online retailers. "I can only warn against buying any e-cigarettes or liquids from obscure foreign websites," says drug commissioner Blienert. What the buyer buys there could be "the purest black box, mega strong or massively harmful to health".

Incidentally, China, the motherland of e-cigarettes, is currently restricting the sale of the products significantly. Flavors as additives to nicotine-containing liquids are prohibited. The European Union is also considering such a step as part of the new version of the Tobacco Directive. In addition, the Chinese government has banned the sale of vaping devices that are equipped with refillable tanks. The health concerns about the widespread self-mixing of liquids for steam devices are probably too great for the state authorities.

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