User:Climatewarrior88/Choose an Article

Article Selection
Please list articles that you're considering for your Wikipedia assignment below. Begin to critique these articles and find relevant sources.

Option 1

 * The environmental cost of single-use vapes:
 * Article Evaluation
 * 18 per cent of 15-year-olds in England and Wales were using e-cigarettes in February last year — an all-time high
 * e-cigarettes cannot be reused or recharged. The devices are often discarded like cigarette butts
 * Each device contains about 0.15g of lithium in its battery, a metal classified as a “critical” raw material by the US and EU.
 * 90 tonnes of lithium were used in the production of the $5bn worth of single-use vapes sold globally last year
 * one of the UK’s biggest electronics recycling plants, processes just 700 vapes a week.
 * The vapes sold in the UK last year contained enough copper to make 370,000 at-home electric vehicle chargers and enough lithium to produce more than 2,500 EV batteries.
 * the “fast fashion” of e-cigarettes.


 * Sources
 * https://www.ft.com/content/6d5ed980-8b91-4372-9e7e-14eda5419325:

Option 2

 * Planet of the vapes: How big a problem are e-cigarettes, and where can they be recycled? :
 * Article Evaluation
 * More than 1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away in Britain each week, according to a study by e-waste recycling organisation Material Focus.
 * “Single use e-cigarettes contain precious materials such as aluminium, lithium, and stainless steel - all materials that can be used for other functions such as making cars. They are also covered in plastic.”
 * “Producers, importers and retailers of disposable single-use vapes have been avoiding their clear legal and financial obligations around takeback and recycling,” Material Focus’s executive director Scott Butler told sustainability outlet edie.
 * 75 per cent of UK users admit they ‘never’ recycle their used devices, according to new research from the Green Wings Project.
 * As their batteries and circuit boards break down, vapes leach toxic chemicals into the environment while their casing grinds down into harmful microplastics. If damaged when they are thrown away, lithium batteries can cause fires at waste disposal plants.
 * https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/01/planet-of-the-vapes-how-big-a-problem-are-e-cigarettes-and-where-can-they-be-recycled:
 * https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/01/planet-of-the-vapes-how-big-a-problem-are-e-cigarettes-and-where-can-they-be-recycled:

Option 3

 * Are disposable vapes bad for the environment?:
 * Article Evaluation
 * The number of disposable vapes getting binned each year could fill 22 football pitches
 * Due to the way they’re made, disposable vapes are almost impossible to recycle
 * Disposable vapes are difficult to recycle because they’re made from a mixture of materials – including plastic, copper, and a lithium battery. They’re designed as one unit, which means the batteries can’t be easily separated from the plastic shell and other materials. This makes disposable vapes difficult and expensive to recycle
 * Disposable vapes waste valuable resources (that could be used for the green energy transition)
 * Reusable vapes are a good solution


 * https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/are-disposable-vapes-bad-for-the-environment/:

Option 4

 * Article title:Tackling the environmental impact of disposable vapes
 * Article Evaluation
 * Total emissions associated with disposable vapes in 2022 are estimated to have been up to 4,292 tonnes CO2e – the equivalent of around 2,100 cars on Scotland’s roads
 * Disposable vapes are powered by a battery which is made from lithium – a precious metal which is already facing global shortages


 * https://www.gov.scot/news/tackling-the-environmental-impact-of-disposable-vapes/ :

Option 5

 * Article title:
 * Article Evaluation:
 * Sources: