UK users throw away around two disposable vapes every second. The amount of discarded disposable vaporizers accounts for about 10 tons of lithium sent to landfills or waste incinerators each year, enough metal to make batteries for 1,200 electric cars.

A boom in sales of disposable vapes vaporizers has led to millions ending up in landfills, despite containing valuable lithium, the metal on which much of the high-tech economy depends, a joint investigation by Sky News and the Office of Human Resources has found. Investigation journalism.

Available in a wide range of colors and flavours, these simple and highly addictive pen-sized devices are the fastest growing alternative to smoking in the UK, outperforming other types of refillable and reusable vaporizers for the first time this year. year. Our research suggests that users in the UK are throwing away around two disposable vapes every second. The battery in an average disposable vape contains just over a tenth of a gram of lithium metal. But add.

The amount of discarded disposable vapes vaporizers accounts for about 10 tons of lithium sent to landfills or waste incinerators each year, enough metal to make batteries for 1,200 electric cars. ‘It really is crazy’. “We can’t throw these materials away, it really is crazy in a climate emergency,” said Mark Miodownik, professor of materials and society at University College London. “It’s in your laptop, it’s in your mobile phone, it’s in electric cars. This is the stuff we absolutely rely on to get us away from fossil fuels and address climate issues.”