The Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed that disposable vapes will be banned in the UK from 1 June 2025, marking a positive step for the environment and human health, particularly among youths.
The move was first tabled in January this year by the previous Government, but it was delayed in the midst of the general election. Labour is now moving forward with the ban in a bid to preserve the environment and protect health among children who are using vapes at alarming rates.
In 2023, an estimated five million single-use vapes were littered and disposed of in general waste every week in the UK, a figure almost four times higher than 2023 figures. This is equivalent to eight vapes thrown away every second.
Vapes contain materials which are difficult to recycle, such as plastic casings, and, once in landfill, they leak harmful waste such as battery acid and mercury which causes damage to the environment. What’s more, essential materials that could be applied to other, more beneficial projects are wasted in throw-away vapes. In 2022, over 40 tonnes of lithium were discarded in the form of single-use vapes. This quantity could have been used to power 5,000 electric vehicles.
The ban is a win for the circular economy as vape usage has been rising significantly each year without any proper legislation in place to dictate how they are disposed of. Vape usage in England increased by over 400 per cent between 2012 and 2023, with approximately 9.1 per cent of the British public currently buying and using these products.
Vapes were first introduced as a safer alternative to smoking, designed to wean adults off of cigarettes with this alternative. However, vape companies have been widely criticised for targeting their packaging and advertising at children and young adults.
In 2024, it was estimated that the number of people who had taken up vaping despite never having smoked passed one million. The rise was driven by young adults, with one in every seven 18 – 24 year olds who never before smoked now using vapes.
Some vaping industry leaders have called for more stringent legislation, rather than a ban, claiming the ban will open a black market for these products. The primary ambition is that a complete ban on the product will vastly reduce the number of vapes that end up littered or in landfill, and significantly reduce the number of young people and non-smokers using the product.
