A Redditor inquired about a strange piece of litter they found by a local lake, and they got a depressing response. 

They posted in the r/whatisthisthing subreddit, showing readers a strange-looking bear head with a battery pack attached and a necklace threaded between the bear's ears. 

"It's plastic, has a power button, looks rechargeable, has a string in the form of a necklace, it's white and blue," they said, "Small enough to fit in my hand. Found at the lake."

Commenters immediately identified the object: it was part of a rechargeable vape, which retails for nearly $30. 

Specifically, it was the head and battery pack of the vape, which presents a variety of potential issues. 

Vape cartridges are a massive concern when it comes to littering; they seem to be everywhere, as one-use, disposable vapes are incredibly popular. 

However, the combination of the plastic (which doesn't degrade over time, but can leach harmful chemicals) and battery pack (which can contain metals like cobalt and lithium and can also leak toxic chemicals into the environment) makes them a uniquely damaging type of litter. 

The batteries contained in disposable vapes also pose a fire risk when thrown away, as normal trash is often compacted, which can cause explosive reactions from the batteries. 

Despite this, disposable vape waste has become a frequent discovery in urban areas, puncturing tires, and making unwelcome cameos along hiking trails. Even beaches aren't safe from vape-related litter, posing potential hazards to visitors and aquatic creatures. 

For more responsible consumers, there's a way to throw out your disposable and reusable vape pens safely. According to the EPA, you should take them to a hazardous materials disposal facility or utilize your city's hazardous waste disposal program rather than putting them with the usual trash. 

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Commenters were quick to rant about the find. 

"I'm so sick of seeing vapes littering the Earth," one said.

"If it's battery-powered litter in nature, it's a vape. It's always a vape," said another, "I hope they someday nail the companies to the wall responsible for all these lithium batteries scattered throughout our environment at never-before-seen proportions." 

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