More and more people are choosing to vape over smoking cigarettes every day. Many people have even reported vaping Elf bars to fight against their nicotine addiction and slowly wean off.
With disposable vapes being all the rage throughout America, the question of their disposal comes into play.
Vapes are operated using batteries, so you have to be quite careful when disposing of them. Here is how to dispose of an Elf bar in the right way.
How Do You Dispose Of Elf Bar
Since Elf bars contain a lithium battery inside them, you need to be extremely careful when disposing of them.
Elf bars cannot be disposed of with your normal household waste and garbage. You will need to take the lithium battery to a special recycling point.
These recycling points can be found in supermarkets as well as various recycling centers around the city. Be sure to look up your nearest recycling point when you’re disposing of your Elf bar.
You will need to call them up and inquire about whether they are accepting lithium batteries to recycle. If they reply affirmatively, you can then schedule a time to drop off the battery to them.
If you have more questions about how to dispose of an Elf bar, you can always reach out to your local council. Most local councils have websites that thoroughly explain proper disposal methods.
How to Recycle Elf Bars
Most authorities across America require you to carry out a thorough disposal process to get rid of your Elf bar.
You will need to remove the filler material and rinse it out well under running water. This ensures that all the nicotine residue in the Elf bar is thoroughly removed.
Then, you will be required to wrap up the Elf bar in biodegradable material. You can use any scrap material for this, as long as you’re sure that it naturally decomposes in nature.
Moreover, you will also have to dispose of the cartridge individually. Start by rinsing it well and sealing it tight using the plug that it came with.
Once you’ve done this, you can simply dispose of the cartridge in the same way as other plastic waste.
Here are more detailed instructions on how to dispose of an Elf bar. We have broken them down step-wise to make the process easier to follow for you.
Step 1: Disassemble the Elf Bar
Before starting, you should realize that the most important part of the Elf bar is the battery. All vape sticks have lithium batteries, and putting them in the bin would be a terrible idea.
Lithium batteries shouldn’t be thrown in the bin. They are classified as hazardous materials and even pose a threat of explosion if they aren’t handled properly.
So, you need to remove the battery from the Elf bar before you can dispose of it.
The first step requires you to remove the part that actually helps you vape. This part is the heater cartridge and the air-activated switch. Both of these parts should be removed from the bar carefully.
You can use pliers to pop off both the ends of your Elf bar. If it is extremely tight and the ends aren’t popping off easily, don’t force it too hard as your Elf bar can break.
Instead, you can use a screwdriver to loosen it up slightly first. If it is very tight, you can also use your teeth to get this done, but it can be a little dangerous. Therefore, experts recommend not doing it.
Once you manage to get both ends to pop off, you will notice two sides of your Elf bar.
One side will have little electrical wires on it. This is the battery end of your Elf bar. The other hand will be made of plain plastic. This is the top of your Elf bar’s juice pod that you smoke out.
You should be very careful with the battery end of the Elf bar.
To disassemble the bar, start gently pushing on the end with the juice pod. You can use your thumb to do it or carry it out with your pliers.
As you push on the juice pod, you will be able to pop out the vape’s insides.
Step 2: Remove the Juice Pod from the Battery
The next step to disposing of Elf bars is freeing the juice pod from the bar’s battery.
The best and easiest way to do it is by using a pair of wire cutters. Having wire cutters allows you to make clean, precise cuts on the wires of the battery and ensure that you do a neat job.
However, since most people don’t have wire cutters lying around their homes, this can be a problem. If you are unable to find wire cutters, that’s okay. A sharp kitchen scissor can do the job just as well.
This step of removing the juice pod requires you to practice extreme caution. This is because using a scissor near the lithium battery poses a risk of puncturing the battery.
Lithium batteries can start explosive chemical fires if they are punctured. So, proceed with caution and make sure you are wearing appropriate safety equipment as you do so.
To make this process slightly safer, you can use plastic tools instead of sharp metal ones. This will take more time, but it reduces the chances of you puncturing the lithium battery.
Make sure you carry out this process in an open space.
If you notice the clear tape on the battery that is obscuring the wires, pull it off. Make sure to do this slowly and gently. With the tape off, you will be able to cut the wires easily.
Make sure to only remove the clear tape. You will also notice blue tape placed on the battery. This should not be removed under any circumstances.
Step 3: Cut the Wires Carefully
You will notice three different wires by the battery once you’ve removed the clear tape. There will be two wires on one end of the battery and one on the other end.
Try to cut the wires as close to the battery as possible without risking puncturing the battery.
When you’ve cut the end with two wires, try to make sure the clipped ends do not touch each other. The best way to do this is by cutting the wires one at a time, so they aren’t pulled together.
Once you’ve cut all the wires, wrap up the lithium battery in sticky tape. This will prevent the wires from touching when you’re removing or transporting the battery.
Step 4: Dispose Of the Different Parts
Now that your battery is removed, you can simply take it to the nearest recycling center. You can also reach out to different waste collection points and ask if they accept lithium batteries.
Lithium batteries in Elf bars can be recycled into bigger batteries for use in electric cars and phones. This makes this disposal technique a highly environmentally friendly method.
The plastic parts of your Elf bar will need to go into the trash bin. Make sure you place them in bins meant for plastic parts. You should also remember to place the soggy juice pod in these bins.
A good way to do this is by putting all of the plastic parts of your Elf bar in a Ziploc bag. You can then place this Ziploc bag in the bin.
Doing this ensures that there is minimal likelihood of this plastic material making its way into the ocean. This also prevents the chances of birds and other small animals choking on these plastic parts.
Lastly, the shiny aluminum tubes of your Elf bar can simply go into the recycling bin. These can easily be recycled to make reusable straws, stems for bongs, and various pieces of metal furniture.
Important Note: If you plan on disassembling your Elf bar, you should be careful and ensure proper precautions are taken.
Battery removal can be a dangerous process. It becomes even more dangerous when the batteries being removed are made of lithium. This is because lithium poses a risk of explosion when handled.
Therefore, it is important for you to put on some safety equipment when disposing of your Elf bar. Be extremely careful and wear gloves as well as safety goggles.
It is best to consult a professional beforehand. They can guide you best on the right way to proceed forwards with the lithium battery removal method.
You can also watch videos on YouTube to help you out.
Also read: How to Dispose of Vape Batteries?
Importance of Safely Disposing Elf Bar Batteries
Tossing the lithium batteries found in Elf bars in trash or recycling bins can be quite dangerous. This is because batteries in the back of the recycling or waste collection truck can spark up.
Since your lithium batteries will be surrounded by dry paper and cardboard in the truck, this can be a major issue.
If pressure and heat inside the truck cause the lithium battery to spark, it can result in a huge fire. There will be a rolling inferno created in the truck, and the dry paper will further fuel the chemical fire.
In fact, lithium-ion batteries happen to be the leading cause of recycling truck fires.
That is why it is of utmost importance that you reach out to a recycling point. You should only dispose of your batteries at these points.
Make sure they are discharged and cool, then submerge them in cold saltwater before taping them up. You can further wrap them in newspaper before you head off to the recycling point.
This ensures that the batteries are safely stored and transported.
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