Festival Summer: Recycle your used vapes!

From 11 to 13 July 2024, tens of thousands of festival-goers will once again make the pilgrimage to Openair Frauenfeld and transform the Grosse Allmend into one of the biggest hip-hop festivals in Europe. Quite a few of them will also be using disposable e-cigarettes. To ensure that these do not end up in the rubbish or on the ground, we have provided the organisers with vape collection boxes.

The consumption of disposable vapes has risen sharply in recent years, especially among young people. No wonder: the small electronic devices are available in all flavours, they are handy, cheap and, at around 600 puffs, are just about enough for a party weekend.

6 e-cigarettes make a new mobile phone battery
But what many people don't realise: Disposable e-cigarettes contain many valuable materials. These include lithium, nickel, cobalt, aluminium and copper, which can be recycled and used for new electrical devices. For example, a new mobile phone battery can be made from 6 e-cigarettes. The lithium-ion batteries contained in e-cigarettes can also quickly catch fire and ignite when exposed to high heat or pressure. The heavy metals or nicotine contained in the liquids of e-cigarettes can also pollute soil and water if the vapes are left on the ground or end up in the rubbish instead of being recycled.

Vape recyclers take care of the environment 
In order to prevent such damage and to recycle as many e-cigarettes as possible during the Openair, we have provided the festival organisers and British American Tobacco with green vape collection boxes and vape recycling bags. Thanks to these, festival visitors can return their empty e-cigarettes free of charge not only at all kiosks and camping receptions, but also at La Fabrik by Parisienne / British American Tobacco. All types of e-cigarettes are accepted in the vape collection boxes and then forwarded to the vape recycling bags for proper disposal. Anyone who helps out and becomes a vape recycler ensures that the risk of fires and environmental damage on the festival site is reduced and that valuable raw materials are returned to the cycle thanks to recycling. 

Free disposal of vapes after the festival: at sales or SENS collection points throughout Switzerland
As with other electrical appliances, consumers pay 10 centimes towards the subsequent professional disposal of the devices when they buy a reusable or disposable e-cigarette from our partners. Thanks to this advance recycling contribution (ARC), consumers can return their empty vapes free of charge to any e-cigarette point of sale in Switzerland. This is stipulated in the Ordinance on the Return, Taking Back and Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ORDEE). This also applies if the consumer does not want to buy a new device or has purchased their device elsewhere. Alternatively, used vapes can be handed in free of charge at a SENS collection centre. There are over 750 of these throughout Switzerland: SENS collection centre