Iowa City opens up a new option for residents to dispose of nicotine vape devices in time for the University of Iowa’s move-out season, when officials say the city sees more waste.

Beginning April 23, the city has been accepting vape disposals at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center’s Hazardous Material Collection Facility.

Jane Wilch, the recycling coordinator for the City of Iowa City, said a vape disposal program has become a relevant concern due to increased vape use in the state of Iowa, causing environmental concerns. America’s Health Rankings reported an increase from 7.7 percent to 8.9 percent of Iowan adults using e-cigarettes.

On May 5, the US Food and Drug Administration also approved the sale of fruit flavored vapes for adults 21 and older, a first for the nation.

Wilch said a vape device’s combination of a battery and liquid nicotine makes the item hazardous because the battery brings a fire risk and liquid nicotine is a toxic substance.

Wilch said educating the public on why batteries require a safe form of disposal other than trash or recycling has been a priority for Iowa City recycling.

“The concern we have is with the design of a battery,” she said. “It is meant to hold a lot of energy in a small space. If a battery becomes damaged, it releases that energy, and that’s where we have a risk for fires.”

Iowa City residents are now able to drop off vapes from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center.

Wilch said the landfill is only accepting nicotine devices and won’t be able to accept THC devices, such as vape pens and dry herb vaporizers, because they require oversight from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Businesses can also utilize the vape disposal system, with more fees and an appointment required.

“We have had many conversations over the last few years with representatives of public health and the schools and other local organizations,” she said. “So we are very happy to be able to offer a resource to our local organizations and businesses as well.”

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The vape disposal program is in its pilot stage for the first year. Wilch expects an increase in vapes and general waste in Iowa City in May when students move out and in July to August because the city has a significant lease turnover time.

“We see a lot of impacts to the amount of materials being landfilled, being recycled, being composted during those different times of year,” she said.

Ed Hash, an Iowa City resident, said he often picks up trash in the city when he goes on walks with his dog.

Hash recently disposed of vapes he collected at the East Side Recycling Center, a smaller drop-off recycling site on Scott Boulevard separate from the Hazardous Material Collection Facility.

“I stopped and walked up to the first entrance, and the people there were very helpful,” he said.

Hash said he hopes the new vape disposal program will lead to him seeing fewer vape devices on his walks. He also hopes the program will reduce the number of fires that damaged batteries cause at landfills.

“They’re massively expensive, the consequences for it that people don’t think about are just insane,” he said. “As someone who’s aware of them, I’m gonna do my part to stop that from happening.”

Hash said despite all the waste he picks up on his routine walks, he believes Iowa City has a less severe littering problem than cities such as Minneapolis. He sees the new vape disposal program as Iowa City taking a further step toward long-term sustainability.

“That’s part of the reason I like Iowa City, despite Iowa being so red,” he said. “We do pretty good locally, and we just have to slowly do what we can to convince everyone to be on the same page, to keep society moving forward.”

Wilch said the city will use the pilot year to evaluate if there is demand from residents for a vape disposal program.

“We’re thrilled to have launched the vape device disposal program,” she said. “We will continue to evaluate it for potential growth and improvements as well.”