09/09/2026
Reposting Dave's great post in Lower Salt River Paddlers - pack it in, pack it out!
A bit about Vapes:
Keep your v**e out of the Lower Salt River — it wrecks the river and it wrecks the v**e.
A v**e is not “just plastic.” It is e-waste: a lithium-ion battery, circuit board, metals (including nickel, cobalt, copper, and sometimes lead), plastic casing, and leftover nicotine/e-liquid. In the river those parts don’t disappear. Ni****ne and e-liquid leach into the water and are toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Studies have shown e-liquid can crash dissolved oxygen and kill bottom-dwelling organisms. Heavy metals and battery chemicals leach into the same water that supports wildlife, wild horses, and downstream uses. The plastic stays for years and breaks into smaller pieces.
Water ruins the device. Disposable v**es are not waterproof. Once they go under, water shorts the battery and electronics, corrodes the internals, and contaminates the e-liquid. Because they are sealed, you usually cannot dry them out. A dunked disposable is typically dead — and trying to use a wet one is a bad idea. That dead v**e still cost you money. Most disposables people bring to the river run about $10–$25, with a lot of the common 5,000+ puff devices sitting around $12–$20. Drop it, lose it in the current, or leave it on the bank and you just paid that much to pollute a public river.
Easy fix:
* Keep it in a zip bag or dry pocket, not loose on your board, yak, in a tube, cooler lid, or swimsuit.
* Pack it out. Every one. Even if it's dead.
* Used or broken v**es are hazardous e-waste. Don’t toss them in a regular trash can at the site - take them to a proper battery/e-waste disposal.
The Lower Salt is a shared river, not a dump. Take the v**e home. Leave the water clean. And FYI: the Lower Salt River is a primary source of drinking water for the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Forest Service volunteers & crews have removed thousands of disposable v**es from the Lower Salt River, the banks, and the recreation sites along the River. The pics below are just a 68 pound sample of what's been removed from the river.
A HUGE Thank You to the Forest Service volunteers who are passionate about keeping our river clean and safe. The Forest Service is grateful and lucky to have them!! Please help me in Thanking:
* River Rangers AZ
* SALT RIVER WASTE AND TRASH TEAM - SWATT
* Salty Scuba Squad
* All the other river stewards who contribute to the solution.
