I tried to properly recycle a disposable vape. It did not go well

theguardian.com:

T ake a walk down any busy street, and you’re bound to find dozens of candy-coloured plastic cylinders littering the ground. Millions of these disposable vapes are now thrown away every month in the UK. And hidden inside each one is a lithium battery – made ofa material crucial for the transition to renewables.

Last month, I found myself buying an Elf Bar disposable vape on a night out. I try not to make a habit of vaping, but it feels far too easy to pick one up when they’re eyecatchingly displayed right next to the chewing gum in every corner shop. For weeks, the vape lay next to my bin. I knew I had to recycle it, but how do you actually go about doing that? I soon found myself falling down a blueberry smoke-filled rabbit hole.

There was no clue on the packaging of the vape about how to properly dispose of it. A tiny white symbol of a crossed-out bin is the only indication that the device shouldn’t just be placed with the rest of your rubbish. So perhaps it’s not surprising that more than half of disposable vapes bought in the UK are simply thrown away, according to research by recycling non-profit Material Focus.

A Google search brought me to the Recycle your Electricals campaign website, which advises either removing the battery from your vape (if you can) and recycling the parts separately, or returning the whole device to a retailer or a local authority recycling point. Easy, I thought. But at a local supermarket none of the staff were aware of a take-back scheme for recycling vapes, even though retailers selling £100,000 worth are obliged to provide this service. Instead, I was pointed towards the battery recycling bin in the corner of the shop.

Back at home and armed with two pairs of scissors and questionable