Pedestrian sparks outrage with photo of frustrating discovery in the street: 'Please stop doing this'

If only the solution to the disposable vape problem was as simple as a frustrated pedestrian suggested. They shared an all-too common sight of a vape littered on the street to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit.

"Please stop doing this if you vape," they titled their post, writing, "It has become the norm for me to find these all over the ground. If your vape runs out of battery for god sakes just toss it in the trash and don't just toss it on the ground."

While that might sound like a good idea, disposing vapes in the trash comes with its own perils.

"Don't throw them in the garbage," another Redditor pleaded. "I had one explode when I was a garbage man, and it caught the entire truck on fire."

Proper vape disposal is messy and complicated, as that response indicates. Vapes are made out of recyclable elements including aluminum, but their composition makes recycling anything but straightforward. As Truth Initiative describes, there are specific facilities that take them, and disassembling them is another option to mitigate their harm.

Throwing them in the trash is not ideal, whether it's because the flammable and nonrecyclable elements end up in a methane-producing landfill or wreak havoc for sanitation workers.

If simply thrown wherever outdoors, the lithium battery is a fire hazard for lawn mowers and other machinery. Vapes also threaten animals that might consume them after mistaking them for food. Their shape makes them a magnet for puncturing car and bike tires, as many mechanics have found to their astonishment.

Concerned citizens and municipalities are exploring bans, or at least want stiffer punishments for littering. Making vapes even worse is their known health risks, their popularity among teens, and the substantial amount of resources needed to produce them.

Redditors were disillusioned by persistent disposable vape litter.

"I find at least one of these per day while walking my dog," one wrote.

Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely 👍 Only in some areas 🫤 Not really 👎 I'm not sure 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"How about just everyone not litter," another user proposed. "Same type of person who doesn't put up a buggy/shopping cart."

"Those single-use disposable vapes should be banned," someone else stated. "They're so wasteful, they're designed to appeal to teenagers and get them hooked, and they probably cost more in the long run than refillable vapes."

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