Why There Is More Vapers Than Smokers for The First Time in History

The vaping industry is growing across the globe, with 2.9 million people now using electronic cigarettes in the UK alone. This research states that ‘for the first time ever’ there are now more people vaping than smoking.

What is vaping?

To help explain what vaping is, we first need to understand how traditional cigarettes work. Cigarettes are small paper tubes filled with tobacco, burned and inhaled. The smoke provides the user with nicotine as well as tar and other dangerous chemicals. Electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes) were designed to replace this traditional form of smoking. E-cigarettes do not involve burningtobacco and instead heatliquid to form a vapor that is then inhaled. Most liquids, but not all, contain nicotine.

Why have people switched?

Many smokers have switched e-cigarettes to help save money, with companies such as VIP Electronic Cigarettes offering vaping products at affordable prices.

Purchasing e-cigarettes is a bit more complicated than purchasing regular cigarettes, though. There are multiple components involved, including the e-cig, the tanks, the liquid, the coils and the batteries. According to a recent article, the average smoker will spend a whopping £3,796 a year on cigarettes, compared to vaping which will cost around £270 after purchasing the different components.

 

So,will this massive shift to vaping have a positive impact on the environment?

Vaping produces far less harmful emissions than traditional cigarette smoke. It is claimed that 84, 878 tonnes of air pollution is caused by cigarettes annually, and second hand smoke kills 50, 000 people per year. Vaping, on the other hand, does not produce smoke at all, instead producing a vapour which is much more environmentally friendly. By switching to vaping, smokers can hugely improve air pollution.

In addition, 1.6 billion pounds of cigarette buts end up as litter annually, with many filters ending up on beaches. Ultimately, by switching to vaping, smokers can dramatically improve the amount of cigarette waste produced. However, e-cigarettes are not completely waste free. As they are made up of several different components, each one much be disposed of in the appropriate manner. For example, as many vape cartridges contain a liquid nicotine substance, they must be disposed of correctly to avoid threatening wildlife and the environment. Most authorities state that you must remove the filler material and flush it with running water until all nicotine residue has gone, then wrap it in biodegradable material. The batteries, chargers and atomizers are electronic items,and are therefore toxic to landfills, so must be recycled as e-waste. If you’re unsure on how to correctly recycle your items, check how to correctly recycle your e-cigarettes with your local authority.