UK to ban sale of disposable vapes in response to soaring waste and safety risks

By Olivia Kemp, Soph Warnes and Quinta Thomson, CNN

London (CNN) — The sale of disposable vapes will be banned in the United Kingdom from Sunday, as the country becomes the latest to tackle the “environmental nightmare” of the single-use devices. However, some campaigners warn that the new restrictions are just “a drop in the ocean” in the war against plastic waste.

The ban positions the UK among the first countries in Europe to legislate against disposable vapes, following similar moves in France and Belgium.

An estimated 8.2 million disposable vapes – the equivalent of 13 every second – are discarded in the UK every week, according to an analysis released by environmental group Material Focus in December.

In official guidance, the UK government described the disposable vapes as “eyesores,” and said their widespread disposal has “a hugely damaging impact on our environment and wildlife.” The plastics used in disposable vape products are “nearly impossible for nature to completely break down,” it added.

Improperly discarded batteries can ignite rubbish trucks and waste facilities, it added, with Material Focus linking such incidents to around 1,200 fires between May 2023 and May 2024.

“The ban will also help curb the rise in youth vaping,” the government said. “Over half of children who use vapes report that ‘disposable’ models are their product of choice.”

The legislation will not criminalize possession of disposable vapes. Instead, it targets retailers and distributors, who could face initial penalty fines of £200 ($270) for violations after Sunday. For continued breaches of the new law, an offender could be hit with further fines or a prison sentence.

For those already tackling the environmental fallout, the ban is long overdue.

“Without quick and extensive action, the threat of a ‘vapocalypse’ remains,” Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, told CNN. “New ‘big puff’ and ‘pod’ vape models are already contributing to an environmental nightmare.

“Vape producers are being infinitely creative with their products in order to avoid the forthcoming disposable vape ban,” he added.

Anticipating the shift, major vape manufacturers began adapting their product lines ahead of the legislation coming into force.

“We have been proactively preparing for this shift,” a spokesperson for ElfBar and Lost Mary, which are both owned by Chinese firm Shenzhen iMiracle Technology, told CNN. “From launching our first reusable product in the UK in mid-2022 to the development of reusable products in the wake of the legislation as early as a year ago.”

But, on the ground, one London retailer warned that consumer habits may prove harder to shift.

“Customers prefer the older disposables, which provide 600 puffs, not the newer, non-disposable 6,000-puff versions. This is because they prefer changing the flavor of the vape more often,” Adi Patel, who works at Hari Off License in Shoreditch, east London, told CNN ahead of the ban coming into effect.

“The new vapes are also more expensive, which is more difficult for customers,” he added.

Ahead of the ban coming into force, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said in a statement: “We’ve always maintained that bans are not the answer to the issues linked to the vaping industry, but enforcement of the laws that are already in place to protect children and the environment.” He warned that the measure could lead to a increase in vapers returning to cigarette smoking and create a black market for disposable products.

Vape use has surged in recent years. An estimated 5.6 million people vape in the UK, according to a survey carried out by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health last year.

Disposable vapes have proved popular among young adults trying to quit smoking, but their sleek design, bright packaging and sweet flavors have also appealed to teenagers. Almost 1 in 10 secondary school pupils in the UK vape “frequently,” according to a National Heath Service survey published in October, and a quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds have tried vaping.

One former user told CNN that he was first drawn to vapes by their wide range of “flavors and colors,” but was uncomfortable with how easily they were discarded.

“I would just put them in the bin, it didn’t feel like the right way,” said 17-year-old Brighton student Eaben Kusik. “It felt a bit wasteful throwing (away) the battery with the vape after three days.

“At first I thought, ‘I don’t like the government banning things,’ but I think it’s a good thing,” he added.

For environmental organization Greenpeace UK, the move marks progress – but not nearly enough.

“Disposable vapes are a clear environmental menace,” Laura Burley, co-head of Greenpeace UK’s plastics campaign, told CNN. “Welcome as the ban may be, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the tsunami of plastic waste still being produced.”

A separate Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently making its way through parliament, would give ministers power to further restrict vape packaging, flavors, and marketing – particularly those seen as targeting children.

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