Recycle Your Vapes

If you live in Marquette County, you can drop off used, empty nicotine & cannabis vapes at any of these locations:

nicotine

Marquette:

  • Kenny's Corner Store, 246 W Hewitt Ave
  • Circle K, 2000 US- 41

Harvey:

  • Circle K, 5095 US-41

Negaunee:

  • Circle K, 370 US-41

Ishpeming:

  • Circle K, 616 Palms Ave (US-41)

nicotine & cannabis

Marquette:

  • Peter White Public Library, 217 N. Front St
  • Superior Watershed Partnership Climate Office, 519 Lakeshore Blvd
    • Wednesdays 12-4pm

 

150 million disposable vape devices are thrown away each year in the U.S.¹

Now you can do something about it.

Disposable vaping devices have become commonplace across the U.S. While these devices are advertised as "disposable," they should not be thrown away in the trash or regular curbside recycling bins. Disposable vapes are manufactured with a hard plastic outer component, a lithium battery, and a nicotine or cannabis cartridge. Both the battery and the cartridge are considered hazardous waste. Nicotine and lithium are toxic to wildlife and poison water sources when littered, and lithium batteries cause fires in landfills and elsewhere.

Disposable vapes pose serious risks to the environment. Although regulatory solutions to vape recycling are being explored in Michigan, there are still no government or industry-level vape recycling programs in place. To address the need in the interim, CSCLS developed a vape recycling pilot program in Marquette County with the support of our many partners.

By recycling empty vapes, the battery minerals are recaptured for future use and hazardous waste is diverted from our landfills and waterways. 

Program history

  • In December 2024, with the help of Recycle 906, CSCLS' pilot project to recycle disposable vapes was launched with 1 collection bucket at Kenny's Corner Store.
  • In 2025, with the additional help of the Community Foundation of Marquette County, Circle K Convenience Stores, generous donors, and enthusiastic volunteers, CSCLS expanded the program by adding 4 more nicotine vape collection locations.
  • In early 2026, with the support of The Fire Station, Comprenew, Peter White Public Library, and Superior Watershed Partnership, CSCLS added 2 cannabis vape collection locations.
  • In May 2026, Superior Watershed Partnership incorporated CSCLS's pilot project as a permanent part of their successful Electronic Waste Recycling Program.
Final Poster

From December 2024 through July 2026:

- 9,400 vapes have been collected

- 1,000 Ibs of hazardous waste kept out of the landfill

How The Program Works:

Step 1.

Take empty, disposable nicotine or cannabis vapes to one of the recycling drop-off sites listed above. Look for a container labeled "Recycle Vapes Here" and drop them in!

Step 2.

Vapes will be collected regularly, then sorted and prepared for proper recycling.

Step 3.

Once the required bulk quantity of vapes is collected, they will be sent to certified recycling companies for disassembly and the lithium battery minerals will be recycled.

Sources:

¹ https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2022-12-15/lithium-being-trashed-by-the-tonne-as-disposable-vapes-flood-us-market/