What Batteries Are in Disposable Vapes? A Complete Guide Just because you throw it away, does not mean it disappears Batteries are some of the smallest items we still receive in both trash and recycling truck when they shouldn't even be Extracting Free Lithium ion Batteries From Used Vapes E cigarettes or vapes are sold with either single use batteries or lithium ion rechargeable batteries. When vapes get crushed in general waste or mixed recycling, the batteries can spark. That spark becomes a fire.