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A ban on disposable vapes goes into impact throughout the UK on Sunday in a bid to guard youngsters’s well being and sort out a “throwaway” tradition.
“For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine,” junior atmosphere minister Mary Creagh mentioned.
She mentioned the federal government was calling “time on these nasty devices”—a kind of e-cigarette that are highly regarded with younger individuals—and banning gross sales of single-use vapes or their provide in a crackdown on UK nook retailers and supermarkets.
These caught flouting the ban will face a £200 effective ($269), whereas repeat offenders threat as much as two years in jail.
Younger individuals and youngsters particularly have been drawn to low-cost and colourful disposable vapes, which have snazzy flavors corresponding to mint, chocolate, mango or watermelon, since they have been launched within the UK in 2021.
In 2024, almost 5 million disposable vapes have been thrown away every week, in line with Materials Focus, an unbiased UK-based non-profit.
Greater than 40 tons of lithium, a key metallic used within the expertise business, was discarded every year together with single-use vapes—sufficient to energy 5,000 electrical autos, the NGO mentioned.
Hearth providers have additionally warned concerning the threat of discarded vapes catching mild amongst family garbage.
“Every vape has potential to start a fire if incorrectly disposed of,” mentioned Justin Greenaway, business supervisor at digital waste processing firm SWEEEP Kuusakoski.
The brand new regulation, first proposed by the earlier Conservative authorities, additionally goals to stem an increase in vaping.
“This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking,” mentioned Caroline Cerny, deputy chief government for well being charity Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH).
A latest ASH survey mentioned 11% of adults vape, or about 5.6 million individuals, and 18% of 11 to 17 12 months olds—about 980,000 under-18s. Amongst vapers, some 52% of younger adults aged between 18 to 24 most well-liked single-use vapes.
The long-term well being dangers of vaping stay unclear.
E-cigarettes don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of essentially the most dangerous parts in tobacco smoke. However they do nonetheless include extremely addictive nicotine.
The upcoming ban has already led to a fall in disposable vapes. In line with ASH, the usage of disposables by 18-24-year-old vapers fell from 52% in 2024 to 40% in 2025.
Black market fears
The UK ban follows related European strikes. Belgium and France grew to become the primary EU nations to ban gross sales of disposable vapes.
Eire can be getting ready to introduce new restrictions.
However critics have argued many customers will merely change to refillable or reusable vaping gadgets, which can restrict the affect on nicotine consumption.
And business specialists say the ban might result in extra unlawful merchandise coming into the UK market.
The invoice “only makes it illegal to sell disposable vapes—it does not prohibit their use,” warned Dan Marchant, director of Vape Membership, the UK’s largest on-line vape retailer.
“We risk a surge of illegal and potentially dangerous items flooding the black market.”
© 2025 AFP
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UK ban on disposable vapes goes into impact (2025, Could 31)
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