NYC makers turn discarded disposable vapes into “Vape Synth” mini digital instruments

Key Takeaways

• Report says over 11 million disposable vapes are sold monthly and discarded with batteries and electronics intact
• Paper Bag Team turns spent Elf Bar EB BC5000 cartridges into a “Vape Synth” mini instrument
• The build retains the case, battery, and charging circuit; adds a speaker, buttons, and photoresistors
• Inhaling triggers the existing low-pressure sensor and an oscillator circuit; covering photoresistors changes tone
• The project is framed as “upstream salvage,” intended to draw attention and spur creative reuse of discarded tech

2Firsts, Feb 12 2026 – 

According to TechSpot, disposable vapes were described as harmful to the environment. The report said more than 11 million devices are sold every month and, once the flavored nicotine juice runs dry, they end up in landfills—lithium-ion batteries, microcontrollers, LEDs, and all. It noted that those batteries are particularly dangerous because they increase the risk of waste fires.

The report said a group of makers in New York City has found a way to give dead vape cartridges a second life by turning them into tiny musical devices. The Vape Synth is a project from a trio who call themselves Paper Bag Team: Kari Love (Kari Love) and David Rios (David Rios), professors at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, and Shuang Cai (Shuang Cai), a Cornell PhD student who also teaches at both universities. The report noted that none of them actually vape.

According to the report, the trio cracks open spent Elf Bar cartridges—specifically the EB BC5000 model—and hacks them into tiny digital instruments. The finished product still looks like a vape and keeps the same case, battery, and charging circuit, but adds a small speaker as well as an array of buttons and photoresistors on the surface. It is played by putting a mouth on the mouthpiece and breathing inward, like the original device.

The report said this activates the vape’s existing low-pressure sensor, which triggers an oscillator circuit and generates sound, while covering the photoresistors with fingers changes the tone. It added that the sound is “not great,” and that it is designed to be “goofy,” as reported by Wired, to make it more attractive. The project is described as “upstream salvage,” with the stated aim of drawing attention and encouraging others to get creative with discarded tech rather than positioning it as a fix for e-waste.

The report also described the project’s origin, citing Love saying it began when a student asked for help building a miniature fog machine; she first thought to take apart a vape, but the student never returned, leaving an unfinished device. She mentioned it to Rios, and the two later looped in Cai, forming Paper Bag Team. The report noted this is not the first time people have repurposed vapes, citing examples such as recycled vape batteries used to charge phones and e-bikes and a disposable vape turned into a web server.

Image Source: TechSpot