A Mandaue City councilor wants to impose fines on vape pod sellers and distributors who fail to properly dispose of their used products.
On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, City Councilor Jennifer Del Mar, the chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, declared her intention to draft an ordinance for the said initiative after becoming concerned about the rise in the number of vape pods being inappropriately disposed of on streets.
She stated that she must first determine the exact amount of the punishment before endorsing the ordinance to the Mandaue City Council during the council’s regular session on Monday, August 14.
A vape pod is a type of vape that has a battery and a "pod" instead of a vape tank. The pod does the same job as a vape tank holding the coil and e-liquid.
Del Mar stated that she intended to impose regulations requiring retailers and distributors to ask customers to return their used vape pods and to compensate them with discounts on subsequent purchases.
Del Mar stated that the Mandaue City Government “would collect the empty vape pods from them (sellers and distributors) and put these under our electronic waste disposal area."
The city councilor stressed that the single-use plastic devices, with prices ranging from P200 up to P1,500, contain lithium batteries and heavy metals that are very poisonous and harmful, citing the risk that incorrect disposal of vape pods poses to public health and the environment.
Health professionals cautioned that lithium batteries could leach into and contaminate water, and that if consumed, could lead to loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain as well as death.
Likewise, exposure to even a small amount of metal can result in metal intoxication, which can lead to symptoms including weakness, dehydration, diarrhea, chills, or a low body temperature.
Del Mar, however, assured the public that the ordinance would be studied carefully before it would be implemented. (HIC)