Artists use vape cartridges for crafts to urge recycling, not litter

The embellished jacket is on display in an exhibit in Sacramento called "Carts for the Arts".

SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Costume designer Sheilagh McCafferty’s eyes lit up as she extracted wires, lithium batteries and light emitting diode (LED) dots from vape cartridges, the single-use e-cigarette devices now littering U.S. beaches and hiking trails.

She used 150 LED dots to bedazzle a pink wool jacket with shiny polka-dots and named her creation "If Jackie O Vaped." The embellished jacket is on display in an exhibit in Sacramento called "Carts for the Arts," sponsored by Up Kindness, a non-profit organization.

McCafferty is among 13 artists in the show that features artworks made from the disassembled cartridges, known as carts. The exhibit is meant to spotlight vape litter and the need for manufacturers to redesign single-use products into reusable and recyclable devices.

"It’s a strong message: Can’t we do something about the waste?" McCafferty said.

Because of cannabis residue often found in the used carts, California has classified them as hazardous waste. That means recycling businesses steer clear of them and they end up tossed out as litter or thrown into landfills, where an increase in fires has been blamed on vape batteries.

McCafferty, who is better known in the design world for creating elaborate wedding gowns adorned with pearls and sequins, said her ornamental use of LED dots was a fashionable way to share her desire for a more sustainable future.

Her blush-colored creation is reminiscent of the pink Chanel suit worn by then-Jacqueline Kennedy when her husband President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas.

Aside from the Jackie O jacket, the exhibition also features sculptures, paintings and household items such as lamps and chandeliers, all made from disposable vape pens and cartridges.

"We want to educate consumers and we want to educate dispensaries that you cannot just throw these away and that we really need to be doing something and for them to participate in the collection of them so something can be done because that’s where people are most likely to bring them back to," explained Shira Lane, who organized the vape exhibition through her non-profit Up Kindness.

"We’d like to work with manufacturers ... to start doing some startup weekends ... so we can start thinking about the redesigning of these vape pens to make sure that they are sustainable and can be closed loop system," she added.

Today, many consumers have traded smoking for vaping. In the vape cartridges, the LED display lights up to indicate it’s being used or battery power is running low.

The Carts for the Arts exhibit runs through Feb. 28 at the Atrium 7300 Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento.