Sheryll Murray, a member of parliament for Cornwall, has called on people to stop throwing away disposable e-cigarettes containing nicotine as the government prepares to ban the use of these products by teenagers, saying in an exclusive interview that people need to recognize the importance of properly disposing of these e-cigarettes. To avoid negative impact on the environment. This is also an appeal after she herself successfully quit smoking, using e-cigarettes that can be reused instead of disposable e-cigarettes.
According to recent data released by Material Focus, around five million e-cigarettes are thrown away every week in the UK, a significant increase from 1.3 million, and many are not properly recycled. Mp Cheryl Murray stressed that throwing away e-cigarettes is just as undesirable as throwing away cigarettes, especially given that single-use e-cigarettes are made of plastic and cannot be broken down.
According to the latest annual report of the Surfers Against Pollution Twelve Constitutional Act, a large number of e-cigarette and vaping products have been found to contribute significantly to plastic pollution for the first time, including 131 brands. Therefore, Cheryl Murray MP called on people to dispose of waste in a responsible way, not just e-cigarettes, in order to respect the environment.
In addition, the Cornwall Health Project is working with the Cornwall Smoke-Free Alliance to share information and best practices about e-cigarettes in order to educate young people and parents about the dangers involved. According to the data, the proportion of under-18s using e-cigarettes in the UK rose to 7% in 2022, up from 4% in 2020. Thirty-three percent of 16-18 year olds who use e-cigarettes have discarded them in bins at school or work, and eight percent of this age group told Material Focus they throw away single-use e-cigarettes on the ground.
Therefore, Cheryl Murray MP stressed that while adult smokers can be encouraged to switch to e-cigarettes, they need to ensure that the e-cigarette they choose is approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency, with the Government and relevant bodies providing more advice and resources for schools and professionals to refer to. More information about e-cigarettes can be found on Healthy Cornwall’s official website.