Dumpster diver shares photos after finding 'weirdly shaped items' in local bin: 'It's a shame'

A post in the r/DumpsterDiving subreddit sparked amusement and concern when one user shared photos of several colorful, "unusually scented items" while dropping off electronics for recycling. The articles, pulled from an e-waste bin for batteries, left the poster confused and ultimately revealed a big issue tied to money, safety, and waste.

In the post, the dumpster diver explained that they were properly disposing of a broken digital stylus and a dead battery when they noticed unfamiliar objects in the e-waste box. The items didn't resemble batteries and were odd to this user.

"Is it perfume? Or is it something else?" they asked, unaware they had stumbled upon discarded vapes, otherwise known as e-cigarettes.

Commenters identified the mystery devices as disposable vapes, a revelation that surprised the OP as well as other Redditors. "They are vapes that are actually being properly disposed of," one person wrote. "I've never seen anyone actually do this before. Most people just throw them in the trash."

The downside: Many vapes are good for only a couple of uses even though the batteries that power them can last much longer. "It's a shame that they are made to be disposable because those batteries are not single-use," another commenter said.

The production of lithium-ion batteries requires significant resources, including mining, chemical processing, global shipping, and skilled labor. When these batteries are discarded after minimal use, much of that embedded economic and environmental value is lost. Even when small, sealed electronics such as vapes are routed through proper e-waste channels, recycling them is costly and inefficient compared to reuse.

The risks don't end there. Lithium batteries can overheat or ignite during collection and processing, making them a leading cause of fires at recycling facilities and waste transfer stations as well as in garbage trucks. Because disposable vapes are often difficult to dismantle safely, they present hazards even within the correct waste stream.

These concerns have prompted some countries to ban or restrict single-use vapes. The goal is to reduce unnecessary waste and discourage products built around short lifespans and long-lasting components.

What began as a question about "weirdly shaped items" exposed a deeper problem: products engineered for convenience at the expense of sustainability, leaving communities to absorb the cost long after the fruity vapor fades.

To be part of the solution, learn how you can make money on your old electronics.

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