People don’t like to admit it, but here’s the truth: cigarette filters are litter.
Contrary to popular belief, cigarettes are not biodegradable. This leads to many environmental problems, such as the buildup of waste in waterways.
It’s also dangerous to the health of others. In fact, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from secondhand smoke since 1964.
Weaning off of the harmful chemicals of cigarettes can be difficult, but with vaping, it can be certainly become easier.
In this post, we’ll discuss different vaping benefits, including how vaping reduces waste and is an environmentally-friendly alternative to cigarettes.
Waste
Cigarette butts comprise an estimated 30% of the total litter (by count) along US shorelines, waterways and on land. Waste disposal is a problem, and not just in the United States. Globally, there are no strict cleanup laws for cigarette butts.
What about vaping waste?
Since most electronic cigarettes use nothing but batteries that charge though cables, there is no real waste to be discarded. Most of them are even reusable. This makes for even less waste when compared to actual cigarettes.
There has been a change of non-smoking policies in areas like restaurants, campuses, and workplaces.
Health
Of course, cigarettes are bad for a person’s health, and the health of those around them. However, what are the implications of waste on our health?
The fact of the matter is – people are not the only ones impacted by cigarettes.
The ingestion of these can be toxic, not only to animals such as pets but also to young infants. Consumption can cause a myriad of problems, such as salivation, vomiting, and diarrhea.
When discarded, one cigarette butt can end up 13 miles away. Often, these invade waterways, such as rivers or beaches. Though these are plastic filters, they can still release toxins such as nicotine, benzene, and cadmium.
Wildlife is in real danger when it comes to cigarette butts.
Creation
About 11.4 million metric tons of wood are used annually to dry tobacco leaves. This process is achieved through various methods, including controlled fires.
The greatest problem is that one tree is used to make 300 cigarettes, or 1.5 cartons. Deforestation is rampant due to tobacco farming, because of the amount needed to make just a few hundred. In fact, during 2016, about 258 billion cigarettes were sold in the United States alone.
Vaping Benefits vs. Smoking Dangers
There are plenty of differences between actual cigarettes and electronic ones. The main one? Vaping is a better alternative to smoking for the environment.
Sure, people are going to continue to litter. However, vaping offers something filtered cigarettes cannot: the chance for multiple uses.
Ingredients such as wholesale vape juice offer a different variety of flavors and nicotine levels to vaping.
Juices are reused as needed, which the electronic cigarettes burn and turn into vapor. Filtered cigarettes cannot be reused.
Filtered cigarettes have an adverse effect on produced waste globally. Vaping as an alternative offers no concrete evidence of waste. There is also deforestation due to the mass production of cigarettes each year.
As you can see from this post, there are numerous vaping benefits out there!
While vaping may not be a healthy alternative to smoking, it is beneficial to the environment!
