Recycling your bits.

[Keef]

I am pretty new to this and so far have not got any dead batteries or atomisers.
I have got a few carts kicking around that have gauze that is no longer tasting good or is past its sell by date.

Can the old atomisers be sent away to be remanufactured ?.

Can the old carts be recycled ?.

I dont think the batteries can be recycled, please tell me if I am wrong and where to send them.

What do you do with your old bits ??.

 

[rustylug]

Lol never seen this Q on the forum before....What did you do with the silver paper in your real cigs, also the cardboard box also the plastic wrap lol lol ..... I just throw mine in the bin.... Mabey you could call your local council and see if the will pick up dead batteries ....Just dont tell them its only a few centimeters long, they might think its somthing from kwik fit lol lol ..... I toss my old bits through my front room window in a fit of anger that they broke down again lol lol .... Hope that helps mate 8-o

I am pretty new to this and so far have not got any dead batteries or atomisers.
I have got a few carts kicking around that have gauze that is no longer tasting good or is past its sell by date.

Can the old atomisers be sent away to be remanufactured ?.

Can the old carts be recycled ?.

I dont think the batteries can be recycled, please tell me if I am wrong and where to send them.

What do you do with your old bits ??.

 

[Keef]

Verrrry funny Rusty

My garden is already enough of a tip, but thank you anyway for the suggestion

 

[dc2k08]

ireland just started to implement the new EU battery recycling directive along with spain, austria, denmark finland and spain. it means that anywhere that you can buy batteries you will be entitled to return used ones and not just the ones you bought there which are then passed on to be recycled. the UK is expected to take up the call in 2009.
Batteries

 

[Denni]

I reuse my carts as much as possible. The filling can be washed and dried if it goes yucky after topping up a few times.

I'm also thinking about a usb mod on one of my batteries when it dies. Disposable parts are good for portability though.

 

[Keef]

Thanks DC2
I think I can take them to the council recycle centre but as far as I know they wont recycle them, they just get rid of any hazerdous material or neutralise them and put them in landfill.

I was thinking more along the lines of the metal tube the battery is in.
Would the chinese manufacturers not be able to re use that part ?.

China is buying up huge amounts of scrap metal from the west , I know it is only a little tube but as these things become more popular there are going to be 1000s of them just discarded.

I know faulty atomisers returned by customers are sent back to china by sellers in batches for replacements, could the buyers not also return the old spent ones to the sellers so they can send them back to be remanufactured.

Obviously you are not going to return one at a time.

A seller could have a programme for customers to return broken atomisers and spent batteries.

They could request them only to be returned during a set month (which ever month they find is quietest) and have a starting and cut off date, so they are not dealing with returns 52 wks of the year.

They then stick them on a slow boat to china.

I dont know if the scrap value compared to cost of return shipping would make it worth it ?.

 

[edisme518123]

I'd pay the 48 cents it would cost me to mail back my spent items if it meant it would keep them out of a landfill.

 

[Keef]

Denni
I have not tried washing the gauze yet, was thinking about trying to find out what material it is and buy some as the carts do seem quite robust.
Someone suggested its used in dressmaking for padding out ?.
I will give the washing a go first.
How many times do you reuse it ?.

Rigging up the usb device I am afraid is beyond me, but I do have a friend who likes fiddling about with wiring so will ask him to take a look.

 

[Denni]

I'm not sure what it is, but I would be careful to substitute stuff used for dressmaking, although I heard of a guy who 'smoked' the stuffing of his teddy bear!

I have so many cartridges in circulation that I haven't yet reused any of my washed fillings more than once, but I guess as long as they look clean and don't get too frayed you can continue to use them. If some fibres end up sticking out above the rim, just snip them off with scissors

 

[madog]

Denni
I have not tried washing the gauze yet, was thinking about trying to find out what material it is and buy some as the carts do seem quite robust.
Someone suggested its used in dressmaking for padding out ?.
I will give the washing a go first.
How many times do you reuse it ?.

Rigging up the usb device I am afraid is beyond me, but I do have a friend who likes fiddling about with wiring so will ask him to take a look.

Actually I am experimenting with a product called Pellon -
To be Exact Product TP970 - It is called Thermolam PLUS

http://www.pellonideas.com/images/stories/pellon003.pdf

It is a little to thick as is but it does split real simply -
When I am satisfied with the results I will post a slide show.
It is however NOT Rocket Science. It is a 100% polyester product
and has good thermal properties. Mostly used for hot-pads.

The price is what is NICE - I got a piece at the fabric store that was 1" by 36" for .14 cents - Which will make ALOT of cartridge replacements.

 

[jigtg]

Thanks DC2
I think I can take them to the council recycle centre but as far as I know they wont recycle them, they just get rid of any hazerdous material or neutralise them and put them in landfill.

I was thinking more along the lines of the metal tube the battery is in.
Would the chinese manufacturers not be able to re use that part ?.

China is buying up huge amounts of scrap metal from the west , I know it is only a little tube but as these things become more popular there are going to be 1000s of them just discarded.

I know faulty atomisers returned by customers are sent back to china by sellers in batches for replacements, could the buyers not also return the old spent ones to the sellers so they can send them back to be remanufactured.

Obviously you are not going to return one at a time.

A seller could have a programme for customers to return broken atomisers and spent batteries.

They could request them only to be returned during a set month (which ever month they find is quietest) and have a starting and cut off date, so they are not dealing with returns 52 wks of the year.

They then stick them on a slow boat to china.

I dont know if the scrap value compared to cost of return shipping would make it worth it ?.

Not really. These fall in the category of heath care products and would have to be either disinfected or metal parts melted and reused. There could be scratches on tube so new paint job most likely. Electronics inside so cleaning can't be done. So essentially they are only useful as scrap metal.

Better plan would be to re-engineer minis and pens batteries so that the battery itself can be replaced easily. Li-ion/po cells on these cost no more than $1-2 a pop. I'd rather pack 10-20 cells and replace as needed than buy more when I need one. Unfortunatelly this small li-ion cells are very rare.

 

[dc2k08]

excellent idea keef. this should be the way for for all our gadgets. and by the sounds of things it might be the case that one day not so far off all manufacturers will be responsible for either recycling or disposing of the things they create. at the moment that cost is payed for by the tax-payer and our environment. watched a really well put together video the other day about how the whole materials economy works and why it stays the way it is. here's the link. if you got a minute you should check it out
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard

madog, let us know how the pellon works out. sounds interesting. hope it doesnt emit any chemicals when heated is the only thing

 

[Keef]

jigtg
Oh well I guess off to the council with them when they die.

maddog that is interesting will watch for your report.

I am not really in to dress making so would not have had a clue what or where to start looking for the stuff.

I did try a quick search but without an actual name I was lost.