It’s estimated almost five million single-use vapes are thrown away every week in the U.K.; that’s about eight every second.
In recent years, usage of the disposable items has risen sharply — including in Canada where, according to one study, it is now the most-used type of e-cigarette among young people.
What many vapers don’t realize is that the devices they discard contain rare earth metals that are key to so many new technologies.
The non-profit group Material Focus estimates the batteries inside all the vapes thrown away in the U.K. in 2022 held enough lithium to power at least 5,000 electric vehicles.
For Chris Doel it’s an unconscionable waste.
Doel is a 25-year-old engineer who works for a large car-maker in England’s Midlands.
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“I’m seeing people around me smoking these and throwing them away after one use. And the electronics engineer in me was thinking, ‘How can these be disposable?’” said Doel from his …