During a household cleanout, an old vape pen might turn up beside spare cords, receipts and things nobody uses anymore. It can be tempting to treat it as ordinary rubbish.
Indian River County has created a safer option. Its vape collection program has earned a 2026 Recycling Champion award from the Florida Recycling Partnership Foundation, according to October 27 reporting by WQCS. Launched in 2024, the program helps keep these devices out of household garbage and recycling, where their batteries can become a fire hazard.
It is recognition for a practical local effort, and a useful reminder for anyone getting ready to clear a drawer, cupboard or garage.
Why something so small needs special handling
A vape can contain both a lithium battery and leftover nicotine. When a battery is crushed in a garbage truck or damaged during processing, it can catch fire. Nicotine residue presents a separate concern because it is toxic and can expose workers and the environment to harmful chemicals. EPA recommends taking unwanted devices to an appropriate household hazardous waste collection site instead. EPA disposal guidance.
Putting one in the recycling cart does not solve the problem. EPA explains that even the recycling symbol on a lithium battery refers to specialized battery recycling, not permission to place it alongside household paper, cans and bottles. EPA battery questions.
That distinction matters to the people collecting our rubbish, operating sorting equipment and responding when something goes wrong. Indian River County’s program gives residents a designated disposal route rather than leaving them to guess. WQCS reporting.
A Sanderling reminder for your next cleanout
At Sanderling Cleaning Company, we believe thoughtful home care includes knowing what should not go into the trash bag.
Clearing a surface feels good. Taking a moment to identify an unfamiliar device or check a product’s disposal instructions is part of caring for the home, too.
This applies beyond vapes. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection identifies leftover household cleaners, paint products, pool chemicals and pesticides as examples of materials that may need special disposal. Different products need different instructions, so they should not become one mixed collection of things to get rid of. Florida DEP guidance.
Start small with our guide to clearing one landing spot. As you decide what stays and what goes, make checking unfamiliar items part of the process.
Do not open a vape, pull out an embedded battery or pour its liquid down the drain to prepare it for disposal. Ask the collection program for instructions, particularly for damaged or leaking items. Specialized waste belongs with designated collection services, not in an ordinary cleaning bag. EPA collection guidance.
Where Indian River County residents can take them
The county’s vape collection guide identifies its five Customer Convenience Centers, the main landfill and participating retail outlets as collection options. Use the designated collection point rather than placing a device into a general waste or recycling container.
The main landfill is at 1325 74th Avenue SW in Vero Beach. The county’s facilities page lists locations and operating schedules. Closure days vary by convenience center, so check your particular location before leaving home. For questions about vape collection and preparation, call the Solid Waste Disposal District at (772) 226 3212.
Outside Indian River County, use Florida DEP’s household hazardous waste resources to find your county’s program. Do not assume every battery collection box accepts complete vape devices.
For curious kids and grandkids: Does everything go in the same bin?
You do not need actual rubbish to teach this lesson.
Draw pictures of a cereal box, a drink can, a rechargeable battery and a bottle of old cleaner. Look at each picture together and ask:
“Can this go in our recycling? Does it need a special collection place? Or do we need to find out?”
The most useful answer may be, “Let’s check.”
A simple explanation for younger children is:
“Different things need different kinds of care. Some have batteries or liquids inside that need a special place. We ask an adult instead of guessing.”
Keep the activity to drawings or pictures. Children should not handle discarded vapes, loose batteries or unknown chemicals. Teach them to leave unfamiliar items alone and tell an adult.
For another way to practice, try Indian River County’s CARTer’s Community sorting game. Players choose disposal options and earn items to build a digital park.
Listen • Watch • Do
Listen: MIT’s “Dealing with Dead Batteries”, published May 29, 2025, explains the materials in vehicle batteries and why recovering them matters. It offers background science, not instructions for Indian River County’s collection program.
Watch: Find the “Indian River County Landfill Virtual Tour” on the county’s facilities page. Use it to start a conversation about what happens after rubbish leaves the house and the people who handle it.
Do: Before your next cleanout, look up the correct destination for one unwanted item. Save the collection address and check its instructions before adding it to your errands.
Caring for homes and the people beyond them
Congratulations to Indian River County’s Solid Waste Disposal District and its program partners.
At Sanderling, we want to make everyday home care easier while sharing useful information about the communities we serve. Sometimes that means a cleaning visit. Sometimes it means helping a neighbor avoid an easy disposal mistake.
Our Bianca Bernhard oyster restoration story explores another local effort to give discarded material an appropriate next destination. The materials and methods are different, but both stories encourage us to think beyond simply throwing something away.
Sanderling Cleaning Company
Less Chores • More Shores.
Sources: WQCS, U.S. EPA, Indian River County, Florida DEP.