July 1 marked the implementation of California’s Assembly Bill 2440, mandating all THC oil, vape pens and batteries be disposed of at a hazardous waste collection facility or other approved businesses. The bill also bans the term “disposable” to describe cannabis vape products in advertising, labeling and marketing.
When improperly disposed of, vape pens can be an explosion and fire hazard risk due to their lithium-ion batteries. Lithium reacts violently with water, and since there is a lot of water in trash, this is a major problem.
Vape Disposal Challenges
“Proper vape disposal in the cannabis space poses some unique challenges. Regulation is one of them,” says Pete Sahani, CEO of The Blinc Group. “Cannabis waste cannot be put into a regular trash bin or in a recycling bin. It must be disposed of according to cannabis waste regulations.”
Sahani notes that aside from regulation, another challenge is the actual vape device. “Some components must be disposed of in approved electronics waste while plastics, if ready for recycling, must be disposed of in plastics recycling. Metals must go into the appropriate stream for metals recycling. This, along with unclear regulations, makes proper disposal a huge challenge.”
To help with vape disposal, The Artist Tree Dispensary and Consumption Lounge launched a vape recycling program at each of its eight locations throughout the state in April 2024.
“We developed and funded our own vape hazardous waste recycling program so that customers have a safe and compliant option for properly disposing of vape products,” says founder Lauren Fontein. “One of the biggest issues with the newest mandate is consumers currently have no easy options for properly disposing of vapes. The Artist Tree aims to provide a solution, not only in compliance with state law, but also out of genuine care and concern that the cannabis industry has had on the environment.”
Educating Consumers
According to Sahani, while new end-to-end solutions need to be created and deployed to meet California law, the industry and the end consumer need to be educated on the process. This is exactly the challenge Blinc has set out to tackle this year.
“We’re in the process of launching a pilot collection and recycling program in collaboration with our customers and licensed cannabis retail locations in California,” he says.
Ali Garawi, founder of cannabis dispensary and lifestyle brand Muha Meds, believes that removing the word “disposable” on packaging will also help to educate consumers on the fact that the product is not, in fact, disposable.
“This law is well-intentioned for the purpose of preserving our ecosystem and environment,” Garawi notes. “Having to remove ‘disposable’ on packaging is a good first step because it gives the consumer the impression that this should not be thrown in the trash and should be disposed of properly.”
This issue surrounding the safe disposal of vapes will only grow as more states legalize cannabis. As California sets the standard, others should hopefully follow suit.
“At The Blinc Group, we feel this is a step in the right direction. Proper vape disposal begins with education and not referring to an all-in-one vaporizer or even a 510 thread cart as ‘disposable.’ This is a step in the right direction,” says Sahani.
