Kent dad turns old vapes into power banks for gigs

Mark Hopgood uses the batteries recovered from discarded disposable vapes to make portable chargers

A father from Kent has turned disposable vapes into rechargeable power banks which he uses during live gigs.

Mark Hopgood, a software engineer and musician from Sevenoaks, uses the lithium-ion batteries recovered from discarded disposable vapes to make portable chargers.

The father of two explained he uses the homemade power banks to charge his music equipment for gigs: "I took them to the events and powered everything."

However, Mr Hopgood warns it is important to take certain safety precautions so that the batteries do not overheat and catch fire.

Mr Hopgood powers musical equipment with the homemade power banks

According to the government, it is estimated that around five million single-use vapes are being thrown away every week in the UK.

"The best thing about it is that you are using a resource that is free and getting some benefit out of it before it actually goes to recycling," Mr Hopgood said.

Mr Hopgood's work on repurposing old vapes started while out for a walk in June 2023, when he found a "stash" of discarded vapes.

"It was as if the fairy godmother of vapes had waved a magic wand," he said.

He took the vapes home and began taking them apart to re-purpose the batteries, turning them into a power bank.

In August, he tested the device at an open mic night at The Chambers pub in Folkstone.

"I played a couple of tracks and people were coming up to me afterwards, saying ‘Oh that’s really cool what you’ve done’ – they were really interested," Mr Hopgood said.

Since starting work on repurposing the vapes he has also made lanterns.

Mr Hopgood says he always works out how much power is needed to make sure the batteries do not overheat and catch fire.

The Kent Fire and Rescue Service has advice on how to stay safe when using lithium-ion batteries, which includes only charging them during the day when you are at home and always unplugging chargers after use.