Category: Featured

Veolia Launches Vape Collection Service

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Resource management company Veolia has launched a national vape collection service to help provide safe disposal and recycling routes for the 3 million vapes currently thrown away in the U.K. each week.
Veolia states that it can now facilitate the collection and transport of vaping products from retailers to a recycling facility to extract the valuable materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, inside.
The recycling of these items could save more than 10 tons of lithium that could be recycled into new products from the batteries, which would save up to 72 tons of carbon emissions compared to using raw materials as producing 1 ton of lithium from ore produces around 9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Scottish Local Retailer.
Collections will be scheduled according to demand, and in order to store and transport these materials safely, Veolia will provide retailers with individual containers of vermiculite, a mineral that will minimize fire risks from the lithium-ion batteries contained within the vapes.
“Two vapes are thrown away every second. They might be called disposable, but they can and should be recycled,” said Donald Macphail, chief operating officer of treatment at Veolia U.K. “Our new nationwide vape collection service will provide a safe recycling avenue to retailers who provide the mandatory takeback schemes for vapes and ensure that we can extract the valuable materials contained within and mitigate any fire and environmental risks.”
April 28, 2023
‘FDA Ignoring Science on Vapor’

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The government watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services over what it says are scientific integrity violations involving the impact of vaping.
The complaint states that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is promoting public health messages on vaping that appear to be unsupported by its own research and scientific findings, according to Center Square.
Protect the Public’s Trust stated that the FDA was making “scientifically unfounded statements about the vaping industry” contrary to its own research, adding that the agency’s own data appeared to contradict the FDA’s public stance on vaping products.
Protect the Public’s Trust said an FDA report found that “only a subset” of the many harmful compounds found in cigarettes are found in vapes and “at much lower levels” than those in cigarette smoke. That FDA report found that menthol vapes were helping adult smokers quit cigarettes better than fruit flavors, candy flavors or traditional tobacco flavors.
In the complaint, Protect the Public’s Trust stated that former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb presented vaping as comparable to smoking traditional cigarettes because “several of the dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke are also present in the aerosol of some [vaping] products.”
But the FDA declared that “Vaping is not harmless. It carries real health and safety risks, including addiction and other negative health effects.”
“Many studies suggest e-cigarettes and noncombustible tobacco products may be less harmful than combustible cigarettes. However, there is not yet enough evidence to support claims that e-cigarettes and other ENDS [electronic nicotine-delivery systems] are effective tools for quitting smoking,” the FDA stated on its website.
Protect the Public’s Trust stated that there has been a pattern of the government not following “the science.” Protect the Public’s Trust also claimed in December 2022 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to track side effects of taking the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Once again, it appears that federal public health leadership has chosen to sacrifice scientific integrity and the public’s rapidly disappearing trust on the altar of political and special interest agendas,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust, in an email to The Center Square. “While we were promised that health officials would follow the science, what we have observed instead is a disturbing trend of ignoring or disregarding scientific research and data that don’t fit their particular biases.”
April 28, 2023
Philippines Government Ends Illegal Online Sales

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The Philippines government is set to remove 15,000 more noncompliant electronic cigarette sellers in online marketplaces, reports The Philippine Star.
“We have monitored almost 15,000 sellers online,” said Ruth Castelo, trade undersecretary. “We’ve advised platforms to remove almost 15,000 we observed that were noncompliant. These sellers all have cases already.”
Unregistered vapor products are subject to the Vape Law, which came into effect Dec. 28, 2022, and prohibits flavors, colorful caricatures on packaging and selling products within 100 meters of schools, among other restrictions.
“If online platforms would just strictly follow, there is no need to remove the sale of this product from them,” said Castelo. “It’s already indicated which products they can’t sell, but some still evade detection.”
April 28, 2023
Zimbabwe Farmers Happy with Shisha Sales

Photo: Cavendish Lloyd
The newly initiated shisha tobacco marketing season in Zimbabwe has been successful so far, with farmers selling 263 bales worth $97.9 million at an average price of $4.40 per kg and the highest price at $5.40 per kg, reports The Herald.
Some farmers have expressed that they will increase their hectarage next season based on the positive sales so far this season.
“I recommend farmers to grow this type of tobacco; no curing using firewood,” said Victor Mariranyika, president of the Tobacco Farmers Union Trust. “Hence it is cheap to cure. Farmers need to maximize production since air is the major source of the drying energy. Shisha tobacco production is a welcome development.”
Special handling of shisha tobacco is required, however. “The tobacco needs very special attention because the plant or the leaf is very thin, so if you don’t carefully handle it, the leaf itself breaks,” said Jayson Scott, a Marondera farmer. “I have delivered 15 bales, and if everything goes well, I will increase hectarage.”
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has licensed Cavendish Lloyd Tobacco to support shisha production in the country.
This season has been a chance to learn and develop a better shisha crop, according to Chelesani Tsarwe, a TIMB public affairs officer. Tsarwe said the target is to expand shisha production in slow-growing areas and to encourage more growers to produce shisha as it presents better opportunities.
“Desirable shisha tobacco should have a clean leaf, but the produce from fast-growing regions tends to have spots,” Tsarwe said. “Growers in these areas should take agronomic advice seriously in order to improve leaf quality and fetch better prices. Good agronomic practices are key to quality and better productivity.”
April 28, 2023
Belgium Experts Call for EU-Wide Filter Ban

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Filtered cigarettes are equally as unhealthy as unfiltered cigarettes, a Superior Health Council analysis showed, according to The Brussels Times.
The analysis also stated that filters cause a false sense of security and can cause more carcinogenic substances in cigarette smoke.
“Filters in cigarettes do not actually reduce the harmful health effects of smoking. From a public health perspective, they do not offer any benefit while they pollute the environment,” said the report by the Superior Health Council.
Banning filters could make smoking less attractive as well, as filters are said to have a more “pleasant” mouthfeel, reduce sensory irritation in the airways and prevent tobacco from entering the mouth.
“Instead of protecting against lung cancer, the filters have mainly promoted a shift in lung cancer type over the years,” the Superior Health Council concluded, adding that filters are therefore a “false solution” to the health problem caused by smoking.
The Superior Health Council is asking that filters be considered nondegradable single-use plastic products like disposable plastic bags. The council is also suggesting that a filter ban be implemented across the European Union to give it the best chance of success.
April 28, 2023
Tobacco Regulation Not Violation of Rights

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Malaysia’s anticipated tobacco control bill will not deprive citizens of personal liberties and equality, according to the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC), reports Malay Mail.
The anti-smoking council found that the bill, which aims to end cigarette consumption for those born after 2007, is constitutional after former Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi lobbied against the bill.
“Nicotine addiction is not distinguishable from addiction to other drugs,” the council said in a statement. “If the country can ban or regulate other drugs, it can also regulate nicotine. It must also be emphasized that nicotine is more addictive than opium; if we can stage a war on opium, why not on nicotine?
“The main objection to the state initiative in this area is that the law will be difficult to enforce. That is indeed true. But admittedly, the challenges surrounding enforcement accompany all laws.”
Azmi stated that the bill could infringe on constitutional freedoms, but the MCTC stated that Article 5(1) of the Constitution does not give an absolute right to liberty, which, according to the MCTC, can be deprived only in accordance with the law.
“As long as there is a valid law, and the executive acts under it, there is no unconstitutional violation of personal liberty,” the MCTC said after seeking advice from constitutional experts.
April 28, 2023
UKVIA Publishes ‘Greenprint’

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The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has published a comprehensive “Greenprint for Sustainable Vaping” following an industry-wide consultation.
The development of a green action plan was developed with input from leading players in the waste industry, regulators, the retail sector, vape manufacturers and experts in consumer behavior. It comes as the industry has faced increased scrutiny regarding the environmental impact of vapes, particularly single-use products known as disposables.
“Whilst entry-level single-use devices are responsible for record numbers of adult smokers switching to vaping due [to] their ease of use and convenience, the industry realizes that much more must be done to safeguard against their impact on the environment,” said UKVIA CEO John Dunne. “The fact is that disposables have been around for a while but have become hugely popular in the last couple of years, particularly with those on low incomes who are amongst the most prevalent smokers.
“The Greenprint aims to mobilize environmental action to support a sustainable vaping sector in the future. It covers the development of recycling infrastructure, which is fit for the vaping industry, new vape innovations that make products more recyclable and reusable as well as the support that needs to be put in place to encourage greater retailer and consumer participation in the environmentally conscious disposal of vape products.”
April 27, 2023
TPSAC to Discuss Proposed Rule

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The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) will hold a meeting to discuss the Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practice proposed rule on May 18, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The proposed rule is open for public comment until Sept. 6, 2023.
The TPSAC meeting will be available via a free webcast. Electronic or written comments on the meeting must be submitted by May 11 for consideration by the committee.
April 27, 2023
WITCO Eyeing Vaping Market

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The West Indian Tobacco Company (WITCO) is planning to introduce vaping products and is researching cannabis use, reports Trinidad Express.
“The research is clear, [vaping is] 95 percent safer than cigarettes, so the same risk profile does not exist,” said Raoul Glynn, WITCO’s managing director. “That is why you have Public Health in the United Kingdom giving vaping products to 1 million consumers in the U.K. We saw it in T&T for Carnival, where people felt more comfortable vaping than smoking cigarettes.”
“It’s not one or the other because we will continue to have cigarettes for consumers who want to smoke, but we also want to have the vaping products for those consumers as well,” Glynn said.
Glynn said WITCO is actively researching the effects cannabis can have on users. “It has very relaxing elements and then you have some elements that do not have a positive effect on people. So we have to be careful, and WITCO would not bring something to market that would put people at risk. The group has done extensive research and concluded one in the U.K. with consumers. We will take those learnings and see if it is ready to go to market, but at this stage, I think it is a bit far off,” he said.
April 27, 2023
Government Denies Cig Tax Increase Rumors

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No new taxes will be imposed on any goods or services in Jordan, including cigarettes and tobacco, according to the Income and Sales Tax Department, reports Jordan News.
The department said rumors of an increase are unfounded.
Previously, Finance Minister Muhammad Al-Ississ confirmed the government’s commitment not to impose any new taxes or increase taxes.
Al-Ississ expects non-tax revenues to grow by 6.6 percent compared to the re-estimation for 2022.
April 27, 2023