• gila@lemm.ee
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    17 days ago

    Pretty much all li-ion cells are rechargeable. It doesn’t mean you want to recharge them. All the big 5 manufacturers grade their individual production batches. Only the “A” grade cells are used, the rest are either turfed or sold off to less reputable rewrappers/distributors whom don’t mind having a cell of a lesser grade with their brand on it. That’s how the vape companies got them, and why they often aren’t able to be recharged in the product, which changes the risk profile of using them. The cell manufacturers don’t want their cells in vapes, so they don’t interact with the vape market directly.

    Disposable vapes are a bad product and should be banned. As far as the underlying e-waste problem goes though, those cells already existed and were on the way to becoming e-waste before they were put in the vape. Disposable vapes don’t worsen the problem and banning them won’t mitigate it, only make it less visible in the west. The problem will still exist until we move on from li-ion chemistry in general.