🌱 What is being banned?
The sale of disposable vapes will be banned in England, Scotland, and Wales as of 1 June 2025. The ban, however, does not apply to refillable or rechargeable vapes. It also does not cover new products, such as “rechargeable disposables”, “pod”, and “Big Puff” models. These may notably create environmental and waste issues similar to those created by single-use vapes.
🌱 Why is there a ban?
The ban aims to protect the environment and the health of children, who are often drawn to disposable vapes because of their colorful packaging and their sweet and fruity flavors. Notably, vaping is “twice as common as smoking among children” in the UK. 8% of 11 to 17-year-olds in the UK vaped in April 2023, and currently 16% of 16 to 24-year-olds vape.
🌱 How much e-waste do vapes create?
According to the UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) “vape usage in England ha[s] grown by more than 400% between 2012 and 2023, with 9% of the British public now buying and using the products”. According to research by Material Focus, “5 million single-use vapes [are] binned or littered every week in the UK”. For reference, the amount of lithium disposed through single-use vapes in the UK in one year would be enough to produce 5000 electric vehicle batteries.
🌱 What happens to vapes still in stores?
Retailers are likely to continue to sell single-use vapes until the ban comes into place. There are also concerns about illegal sales taking place after the ban enters into force. If not sold on time, it has been estimated that 150 million vapes may be thrown away as a consequence of the ban. In this context, it is important to mitigate fire risks, which are largely caused by the flammable lithium batteries found in vapes. It is also important to ensure that the precious materials vapes contain – such as lithium and copper – are not lost. Retailers notably have a legal obligation to take vapes back for recycling both before and after the ban. They must also continue to finance the takeback and recycling of vapes after the ban comes into force. Yet, according to Material Focus, “90% of retailers and producers are still not meeting these requirements”.
🌱 What are other countries doing?
Many countries – including Australia, Brazil, India, New Zealand, and South Korea – already have strict restrictions on the sale of single-use vapes. China and the US have announced some restrictions. Belgium, France, and Ireland have set out plans to fully ban disposable vapes. In other countries – such as Germany – there have been public discussions and proposals made on a vape ban. Yet, according to the World Health Organization, “88 countries [still] have no minimum age for buying vapes, and 74 have no laws in place for e-cigarettes”.
Read more about the ban here:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-crackdown-on-single-use-vapes
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7n3zyp114o
- https://www.bbc.com/news/health-66784967
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/world/europe/uk-disposable-vapes-ban.html
- https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/disposable-vape-ban-sales-age-law-legal-labour-b1171414.html
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7255164727855656960/