Bill drafted by Illinois high schoolers would mandate vape disposal
programs
[February 20, 2026]
By Jenna Schweikert
A bill drafted by two Illinois high school students would require
producers of electronic smoking devices like vapes to manage the
disposal of the devices through stewardship programs.
The programs would collect used smoking devices and recycle or safely
dispose of the parts. Producers can either establish their own
stewardship program or, with other producers, form a statewide producer
responsibility organization (PRO) to establish a group program.
Producers would also be required to finance the programs and inform
consumers of their disposal options.
Andrew Diaz and Allison Hovaniec, students at Pontiac High School in
central Illinois, worked with Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, and the
Illinois Environmental Council to draft and introduce the bill.
The students came up with the idea through an assignment in a government
class.
“As we kind of realized that it’s a widespread problem and that there
are vapes all over the environment, we ended up deciding that we wanted
to kind of make this a legislation,” Hovaniec said, emphasizing the
longevity of the bill if it is passed into law. “It’s not just something
that will just kind of go away after a while.”
Meeting a need
Electronic smoking devices, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes, pose
environmental and public health risks due to the batteries, metals,
plastics and hazardous substances such as nicotine in them, said Jen
Walling, CEO of the IEC, a Springfield-based organization that
represents environmental groups and nonprofits.
As they are not recyclable due to the materials, most devices end up in
landfills. Because of their growing popularity and single-use nature,
they are an increasing concern among environmental activists.
The stewardship programs proposed in the bill would operate similarly to
other waste disposal initiatives, like those for electronics. The goal
is to provide an incentive for consumers and producers to care about the
disposal of the devices, Walling said.
“I just think that there are consumers that care about this, and there
will be efforts by the industry to try to meet certain goals where they
need to collect these, so they’re going to go out of their way to try
and get more,” Walling said. “That might mean different education or
different incentives that they offer consumers, or you know, maybe just
putting it in convenient places for people to be able to dispose of
them.”
The bill provides no enforcement provisions.
Brand owners, as the primary owners and manufacturers of the devices,
would be required to establish a program or to join a PRO within two
years of the bill’s effective date.
If the brand owner cannot be identified or isn’t subject to state
jurisdiction, the responsibility falls to the importer, then the
distributor, then the seller.
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Vaping devices like these would need to be properly disposed under a
bill filed in the legislature. (Photo by Nasibli/Adobe Stock)
The programs must be financed by the producers or PROs and are subject
to approval by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Producers
out of compliance could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
Bill development
Diaz and Hovaniec settled on their idea after they were tasked with
creating a project that would impact their community. Through
discussions with their parents and teacher Paul Ritter, they decided to
draft a piece of legislation about vape disposal.
The pair first reached out to Cassidy in the fall, who directed them to
work with the IEC on drafting the bill.
“I’m concerned about a lot of different impacts of vaping, to be
perfectly honest with you,” Cassidy said. “These batteries are just
getting thrown into the garbage. … There’s a lot of reasons to want to
control these products.”
For Cassidy, working with the students on an issue she is already
concerned about was a “no brainer,” she said.
“We definitely want (legislators) to know it’s something that the youth
does care about. It’s something that we want to change,” Hovaniec said.
“We talk about it a lot, I know, especially like when you become seniors
and when we go into college, like vapes are such a widely talked about
concept, and representatives and senators don’t really know that.”
The pair said they are deeply motivated to accomplish their goal.
“It’s definitely something that taught us that we need to, like, think
about what we’re doing and put intent in everything we’re doing,”
Hovaniec said. “Everything you put into something you most likely will
get out and I feel like the experience, it’s kind of just, it’s life
changing, honestly.”
Cassidy filed the bill Jan. 29. It was referred to committee on Feb. 2
and is awaiting a hearing.
“It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in this class,” Diaz said.
“It really is an eye-opening experience, because you will learn more
about the government in this class than you ever will in civics.”
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