DON'T TRASH MISSION BEACH

VAPING LITTER

1050 items were picked up from January to July 2020

With the legalization of cannabis and vaping, Drug and Tobacco litter has increased.  Juul, saw its sales increase nearly seven-fold between 2014 and 2017.” Today, more than 10 million Americans use e-cigarettes and much of that litter including e-cigarettes and packaging is left on the beach.  Add in Syringes and other drug paraphernalia it adds up. Because this is relatively new category, beach clean ups are just starting to track drug-vape-waste. 

Also new is the recreational use of Whippits -AKA Nitrous Oxide or "laughing gas." These metal bullets are strewn all over the beach, the use of this drug has grown over the years. 

https://www.theblackberrycenter.com/whippits-11-facts-you-need-to-know/

Emptied pods, also known as cartridges, contain residual nicotine, propylene glycol and benzoic acid, while vape pens, the battery-operated e-cigarettes that heat the fluid for vaping, contain lead and mercury that can leach into soil or sand.

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Non-biodegradable cartridges also pose choking hazards for small children and animals, and endanger ocean creatures that inadvertently consume the plastics

Plastic Cannabis packaging is everywhere and strewn on beaches, streets and parking lots. 

In July 2020 alone, more than 54 vaping devices were picked up on one mile of the beach in South Mission Beach. This does not include the packaging and cannabis litter. 
 

Senate Bill 8 passed in October 2019, making smoking and vaping is prohibited in most areas in California state parks and beaches. Following the installation of signage, people can be fined for leaving tobacco waste in state parks, unless disposed of in an appropriate waste receptacle.

All of the above kills all animals

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