Finding a screw stuck in one's tire makes for an inconvenience, but not a particularly interesting story. But, for one Redditor, this "screw" turned out to be something much different: a cracked, old, disposable vape pen.

The post, shared to Reddit's r/pics community, quickly gained traction thanks to its sheer absurdity. The images show the vape wedged deep enough into the tire that it could easily be mistaken for road debris, followed by a second photo revealing the full, unmistakable shape of a vape pen.

To make matters more interesting, the vape was actually still functioning after being removed from the tire. 

"My brother and my dad actually saw it flashing after we got the tire off," the OP wrote. "They thought they were going crazy or something, but it still works shockingly."

Beyond the shock factor, the post highlights a very real and growing problem. Disposable vapes are increasingly turning up where they don't belong: on sidewalks, in parks, along roadsides, and now (apparently) in car tires.

These devices contain lithium-ion batteries, plastic casings, and toxic materials that don't just look bad; they can also cause real harm.

BBC News has reported multiple incidents in the U.K. where discarded vapes and loose batteries ignited fires at recycling centers, forcing evacuations and putting workers in danger. When these items are tossed into regular trash instead of handled as hazardous waste, the consequences can escalate quickly.

According to a Fast Company report citing research from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Americans threw away an estimated 5.7 disposable vapes every second in 2023, up from 4.5 per second the year before.

That waste doesn't disappear. It ends up scattered across communities and natural spaces, disrupting people's ability to enjoy the outdoors. 

In San Marcos, Texas, park officials recently collected dozens of discarded e-cigarettes that, at first glance, looked like any other group of bright flowers in the grass.

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Commenters on the post were quick to react. 

One user pointed out the danger, writing, "Good thing the battery in that didn't short via being sanded away!" to which the OP responded, "Yeah I'm quite surprised myself about that."

Another shared that this wasn't an isolated incident: "One of our work vehicles had the same thing. Rear tyre had a part of a vape stuck in it."

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