Reduce Waste with Refillable Vape Kits:
A Complete Guide

In recent years, the popularity and usage of disposable vapes amongst adult vapers has reached unprecedented heights. To put in to context just how much of a surge in usage there has been, in 2021, only 2.2% of adults admitted to using disposable vapes.

Fast forward to 2022, and a resounding 15.2% of adults admitted they use disposable vapes as their preferred vape device of choice. 

Whilst they do act as a convenient way to vape, as well as an effective way for people to try out vaping before committing to buying a refillable vape kit, they do have their downsides and the primary one is the negative impact they have on the environment.

 In this blog we explore just how much of a detriment to the environment disposable vapes are having and why refillable vape kits are not only a more cost-effective way to vape, but also a much more sustainable way to vape also.

Table of Contents

• Environmental Impact of Disposable Vapes
• Understanding The Difference Between Disposable Vapes and Refillable Vape Kits
• How Refillable Vape Kits Minimize Waste
• Switching to Refillable Vape Kits: A Step Towards Sustainability
• Conclusion: Refillable Vape Kits Are Sustainable and Cost-Effective

Environmental Impact of Disposable Vapes

Despite being made from hard plastic, disposable vapes are not actually recyclable. This is because of the electrical components contained within the hard plastic casing which renders them as non-recyclable.

Like any waste that is not recyclable, it must go into general waste bins which are then collected and the refuse is taken to landfills. And it's reaching alarming heights now just how many disposable vapes are being dumped into landfills every single week in the UK. 

According to Recycle Your Electricals, over 30 million disposable vapes are being sold to adults in the UK every single month, and this is resulting in a staggering 5 million used disposable vapes are thrown away every single week, that is around 8 disposable vape devices being discarded every single second. These figures have quadrupled from what they were just one year ago so Material Focus writes.

Every disposable vape device is powered by a small lithium-ion battery, and this is the catalyst which stops them from being able to be recycled and to why they end up in landfill instead. Instances have occurred over the years where people have put used disposable vapes into recycling bins, unbeknown to the workers at the recycling centre, and when put under pressure from the machinery, the lithium-ion battery can explode and pose a serious risk to the workers as well as the buildings and it's surroundings.

It's estimated that 10 tonnes of lithium are lost every single year from discarded disposable vapes, to put that into context how much that equates to, that's enough lithium to power 5000 electric vehicles! 

The environmental impact that disposable vapes are having is one of the driving factors behind the impending disposable vape ban which has been announced for England and it's been spoken that this ban could be happening as soon as within the next 12 months. 

If you're a disposable vape user reading this, you may be wanting to know what your options are for being able to continue to vape once the disposable vape ban has been enforced, or you may be wanting to make the change to a more sustainable way to vape rather than disposables. The answer to both of these concerns would be switching to a refillable vape device, and we're going to explain the difference between the two and how a refillable vape is your best option for your vaping future as well as our environments future. 

Understanding The Difference Between Disposable Vapes and Refillable Vape Kits

There is quite a significant difference between a disposable vape and a refillable vape kit. Disposable vapes are fully sealed units, and everything needed for the vape to function is housed inside the plastic casing.

They come prefilled with 2ml of vape juice, which is the maximum amount of vape juice permitted to be contained within a vape device/vape tank used with e-cigarettes under TPD/TRPR regulations, as well as a small wire coil, a cotton wick, and a small lithium-ion battery, normally around 280mah.

As these devices are factory sealed, they cannot be refilled once the vape juice runs out, nor can they be recharged when the battery runs flat. Once either/or both of those things happen, the disposable vape is then unusable and that is when they are discarded.

However, with refillable vape kits they have many unique features which disposable vapes do not. They are as follows;

How Refillable Vape Kits Minimize Waste

If you are a frequent vaper, the chances are that a single disposable vape will only last for one day before the vape juice or the battery runs out. You will then have to discard this and buy another one and continue this cycle daily to be able to continue to vape, and, this would be contributing to the wastage issues associated with disposable vapes.

Using a refillable vape kit minimizes waste quite significantly when compared to disposable vapes. As we mentioned above, the only part to a refillable vape kit that you will need to regularly replace would be either the vape pod if your pods have coils preinstalled, or your vape coil if you are using a vape pod that uses separate coils or a vape tank that takes coils.

But these do tend to have a lifespan of around 7-10 days, so the frequency of disposing of these will be a lot less than if you were to use a disposable vape.

Vape mods which have internal batteries also have a long-life span with a high charge cycle count before they have to be disposed of.

And by using a 10ml bottle of vape juice, this is 5 times the amount of vape juice you would get in a disposable vape, and a single 10ml bottle lasts on average 2-3 days before it runs out and the bottle is then disposed of.

To summarise, using a refillable vape kit will significantly minimize waste when it comes to vaping. You will realistically be disposing of a used pod/coil and 2 empty bottles of vape juice a week, compared to seven disposable vapes if you continued to use them.

Switching to Refillable Vape Kits: A Step Towards Sustainability

Ever since the environmental problems associated with disposable vapes started arising and increasing, there was numerous calls for a more sustainable vaping industry to form, and some disposable vape brands made changes to their devices to try and implement this by making more eco-friendly disposable vapes.

There was disposable vapes released onto the market which featured a cardboard exterior casing as opposed to hard plastic. These were not a success however, with many people still preferring the more well-known brands of disposables such as Elf Bar or SKE Crystal Bars which had the hard colourful plastic casing.

Some brands of disposables even took accountability for their products and the harm they were causing to the environment by offering a "Return to Recycle" scheme, where they would deconstruct used disposable vapes and correctly recycle the parts. Ultimately, the most sustainable way to continue to vape long term and protect our environment would be to use a refillable vape device.

Here at Edge, we are dedicated to providing a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to vaping by offering top of the range refillable vape kits at the most affordable price, as well as premium quality vape juice which is made in the UK at our state of the art facilities, and we have priced them at the most affordable rate for you, our valued customers.

Conclusion: Refillable Vape Kits Are Sustainable and Cost-Effective

To conclude, we want to summarise all the points we have made above regarding refillable vape kits. Not only are they a sustainable way to vape, they are also a much more cost-effective way to vape too.

The average price of a disposable vape at retail is around £6 per device. And if these are only lasting you for one day, you are going to be spending £43 a week just on disposable vapes which makes the cost of vaping vs the cost of smoking that little bit less.

The initial outlay of buying a refillable vape kit will always be the most expensive part, but overall, refillable vape kits offer so much, and you will save much more money than if you were to buy a disposable vape every day.

To break it down, for £45 you can get the Vaporesso Xros 3, a pack of 4 replacement pods, and 4 10ml bottles of Bar Salts. That is just £2 more than the weekly cost of buying a disposable every day, but the plus is that the pods and 4 10ml bottles of vape juice will last you minimum of 2 weeks!

Not only are refillable vape kits sustainable and cost-effective, but they are also a way to future proof yourself to be able to continue to vape once the disposable vape ban comes into force in the next 12 months.

If you are a disposable vape user currently, make the switch for a better vaping future and get yourself a refillable vape kit!