3 wk. ago • 100%

Where to find empty vapes? I want to harvest a battery

Any ideas?

27 comments

Side of the road pretty common to see them

40
- Not in Berlin. I see them sometimes, but not often enough. I want one now ^^
  
  11
  
  Out of curiosity, what do you think Berlin's secret is in this regard? Like, do people naturally not litter e-waste, or are there easier recycling options, import restrictions, or enforced litter laws?
  
  14
Most that I've found have been on the ground near bus stops.

16
Is this for your Meshtastic board (from your other post)? If so, that's a great up-cycle and should work well with the onboard charging.

I have a few I've saved for similar purpose, but I'm not sure about shipping them.

Like someone else said maybe check with vape shops / dispensaries in your area to see if they collect them for recycling.

13
- Yes exactly that's what I am trying to do. I just found a 3.7v battery in an ancient cellphone of mine, maybe that'll work as well.
  
  9
  
  As long as it'll still accept a charge and isn't a spicy pillow, yeah, absolutely. I've never had great luck soldering onto those little pads but it's certainly doable (though I'll admit my soldering skills aren't the greatest).
  
  I've been wanting to play with Meshtastic for a while and was looking at using something like the LilyGo T-Deck with its blackberry-like keyboard to make cool little off-grid messengers for camping/hiking trips.
  
  8
Some cannabis dispensaries collect old/dead ones to recycle.

12
- Oh that's a good idea, I think supermarkets also collect batteries in general to recycle, maybe there I can find empty vapes.
  
  6
  
  I took a peek in a recycling bin last time I was at Target and saw a handful of vapes in there, this would be a good place to start.
  
  7
some head shops have return bins for recycling

4
On the ground, near bus stops, parking lots, gas stations, anywhere people use them.

2
Is there a particular reason that an 18650 or 21700 would suit your use case less?

2
- Yeah I don't have one around ^^
  
  Actually though that's not true, last night I found an old device of me that I could harvest a 18650 battery from.
  
  2

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