this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2024
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The UK Throws Away 1 Million Vapes Each Day, Causing ‘Environmental Nightmare’ (plantbasednews.org)
submitted 1 week ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/climate@slrpnk.net
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[–] rbn@sopuli.xyz 41 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

As far as I know despite being a single-use item, these vapes mostly contain rechargable battery cells of type 18650. Even though they are probably rather cheap and low quality cells, they still have around 2300 mAh at 3.6 V current. This gives us 8250 mWh per cell. One million of them would be 8250 kWh, enough for 100-200 electric cars. Every day. In a full year that's 3011250 kWh or around 3 gigawatt hours of storage capacity.

3 gigawatt hours is the capacity of the number 1 biggest battery-based energy storage system in the world: https://www.energy-storage.news/moss-landing-worlds-biggest-battery-storage-project-is-now-3gwh-capacity/

Tossed in the trash. Only from single use vapes. Every year. And only in the UK.

I hope there's no major flaw in my calculation but if it's not, that's really a crazy figure.

[–] IzzyScissor@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

I had an ex who collected them, wired them together and now uses the bundle to power an electric bus. It's crazy that it just goes in the trash.

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Most single use contain lithium polymer packs, not 18650s, but yes

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 4 points 1 week ago

1000% this. 18650s are used in regular vapes, and they are definitely not cheap to be used in disposables.

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 5 points 1 week ago

I used to give my empty ones to my niece's bf, he rips them apart and makes shit with them.

[–] WamGams@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

The batteries on most of those cheap disposables are essentially done for by the time the juice runs out.

By day 7 a full charge gets maybe 20-30 puffs.

Without these products the market probably wouldn't be as flooded with cheap rechargeable batteries that only last about 10 days.