When e-cigarettes first hit the market, they were sold as a safer alternative to smoking—sleek, modern and clean. Now, over a decade later, their legacy may not rest simply in lung health debates or teen addiction statistics. It’s in something far more combustible: literal dumpster fires.
According to Fire Rover, a company specializing in fire suppression systems, waste and recycling fires are on the rise, and disposable vaping devices are a growing part of the problem. In its latest annual report, the company recorded a staggering 2,910 fires in 2024, a 60% increase from the year prior and more than double the incidents reported in 2022. These aren’t just minor flare-ups. Fire crews responded to a record 398 emergencies at refuse centers over the past year.
The primary culprit in this growing crisis are lithium-ion batteries, especially the ones packed inside disposable vapes. These tiny power sources, when crushed, punctured or short-circuited by recycling equipment, can ignite quickly and unpredictably. Even without outside damage, overheating or internal defects can trigger fires. The results are not only dangerous but expensive. Fire Rover estimates the cost to recycling facilities in 2024 alone topped $2.5 billion.
The root issue is a deadly combination of consumer confusion and an absence of a functional e-waste disposal system. Most people know tossing batteries in the trash is a bad idea. But what about their vape pens? Many people don’t even stop to think about the consequences of disposing of their pens, while many well-intentioned users may assume that throwing their old pens in recycling bins is safer, while in reality it isn’t. Vapes end up in facilities unequipped to handle them, often with catastrophic consequences.
Making matters worse, access to e-waste recycling is dwindling. Local drop-off events are being canceled, and other refuse centers are tightening the list of acceptable electronics. Even those who want to do the right thing often face barriers: long drives, confusing rules or outright rejection at collection points. So most people toss their devices into the nearest bin and move on. Multiply that by the estimated 1.2 billion disposable vapes entering the waste stream each year, and it’s no wonder sparks are flying.
Yet despite the growing scale of the problem, the vaping industry has done next to nothing to help clean it up. In its report, Fire Rover bluntly accuses vape manufacturers of investing “the bare minimum” in technology or infrastructure to address their role in the crisis. Unlike other electronics makers who have at least experimented with take-back programs or design improvements, the vape industry continues to push out cheap, disposable devices with little concern for what happens after the last puff.
The irony, of course, is that many of these devices are powered by the same kind of lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and laptops, items we’re told to treat with care, recycle properly and never throw away. But a colorful pen that fits in your palm, sold at a gas station for $12.99? It somehow doesn’t trigger the same sense of responsibility.
There are potential solutions. A robust, accessible e-waste infrastructure would certainly help. National regulations around vape disposal and battery recycling could ease the burden on local centers. Better designs like reusable cartridges or even swappable batteries would slow the disposable surge. The unfortunate reality, though, is that none of these changes are likely to occur without pressure being placed on industry leaders.
In the meantime, consumers are left holding the match. If they toss that match into the wrong bin, it could end up sparking a multi-million-dollar fire.
