What happens to your vape after the bin
From the slot in a Youngstown smoke shop to recovered lithium and copper. A walk through the route.
1. Collection
Bins are emptied on a set route. Devices are counted, and anything swollen, hot or leaking is set aside in a separate container.
2. Prep
Following EPA’s guidance for consumer lithium-ion batteries, devices are bagged and terminals covered before transport, then stored in closed containers away from heat. [1]
3. Handoff
Batches go to a certified battery recycler. The Valley already has capacity: Evergreen Battery Recycling, near Youngstown, says it began production in March 2022 and had processed more than 2 million pounds of batteries by that October. [2]
4. Recovery
Proper end-of-life handling lets the critical materials inside batteries re-enter the supply chain instead of being lost in a landfill. Vapes contain lithium and copper, both classed as critical minerals, and both are gone for good when a device goes in the trash. [1][3]