Circular economy minister Mary Creagh announced the ban on 24 October 2024 after growing concerns for the environment and public health.
Reusable vapes will still be on sale, with some in the waste industry expressing concern that the policy “swaps one problem for another”.
Scott Butler, executive director, Material Focus, said: “Without quick and extensive action, the threat of a vapocalypse remains and 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.”
To meet the reusable criteria, vapes have to be both rechargeable and refillable.
If it has a coil – the part of the vape which vaporises the e-liquid – it must be one that can be replaced “by the average consumer”.
Material Focus said that, since its records began in 2022, 1.2 billion disposable vapes have been purchased – with most of ending up in residual waste streams or being littered.
This is the equivalent of throwing away the batteries of 16,327 electrical vehicles.
Preparing for the vape ban
Defra has released guidance for retailers preparing for the vape ban.
Distributors of vapes are legally required to provide a vape “takeback” scheme which accepts both vapes and vape parts for recycling.
Any vapes returned after the ban comes into effect must still be accepted as part of the take back scheme.
Retailers who still have stock of single-use vapes once the ban is in place must arrange for them to be recycled.
Defra advised that, from 1 June 2025, any leftover single-use vaping products must be:
- Separated from other goods
- Labelled as unsellable
- Removed from the shopfloor or online store until they’ve been collected by a registered vape recycling service
Enforcement of the single-use vape ban
The guidance clarified that while the ban is consistent across the four nations, enforcement measures will be locally dictated.
In England, enforcement authorities will apply civil sanctions – including the possibility of a £200 fine – in the first instance. Repeated non-compliance could result in an unlimited fine or prison sentence of up to two years.
While the sanctions in Wales are similar to England, businesses in Northern Ireland and Scotland could face fines of up to £5,000.
Sector reactions to the incoming vape ban
The waste sector has responded to the imminent arrival of the ban.
WRAP
Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at WRAP, said: “With reusable vapes easily available to help people wishing to quit smoking, and disposable vapes linked with use by children, WRAP supports this ban.
“Single use vapes consume huge amounts of natural resources and contribute to plastic and electrical waste and littering.
“They present a fire hazard at waste facilities and use an estimated 5,000 electric vehicle batteries worth of lithium per year. They are a huge environmental issue.
“This ban will help remove disposable vapes while giving people a reusable option. And with businesses which sell vapes legally obliged to provide recycling collections, awareness of this remains limited and needs to be better communicated.”
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS)
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) chief executive James Lowman said: “We have been working with retailers, the government and Trading Standards for months on providing detailed guidance that sets out how to spot non-compliant vapes after the ban comes into force, as well as advising retailers on what they need to do with any stock of disposables left over on 1 June.
“We strongly support robust enforcement activity, starting with the businesses that are already openly flouting the rules by selling illicit product and who will continue to sell disposable vapes once they’re outlawed. It is essential that Trading Standards teams are given the resources they need to get illegal vapes and other products off the streets, as these rogue businesses undermine the work of responsible retailers across the country.”
Electrical Safety First
Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First, said: “With the ban on disposable vapes fast approaching, we’re urging people not to bin the battery.
“These devices contain lithium-ion batteries that can explode or catch fire if damaged, creating a ticking time bomb that puts workers and communities at serious risk. The safest option is to recycle them properly. You can recycle them at any retailer that sells them or at a local recycling centre that has dedicated facilities.”
A Plastic Planet
Sian Sutherland, co-founder, A Plastic Planet and Plastic Health Council, said: “The government’s ban on single-use disposable vapes is a welcome recognition of how urgently we need to rethink wasteful, short-term products.
“Five million vapes discarded weekly is the result of a fractured system that has disregarded the environment and public health for too long. We’ve normalised inhaling from plastic devices packed with atomised chemicals, then binning them without a second thought.
“The ban tackles both immediate pollution and the deeper cultural problem: products designed for brief use but lasting harm. It is encouraging to see the UK emerge as a key leader internationally on this legislation.
“Real progress means expanding this approach across all industries still pumping out toxic materials. While we’re still far from the fundamental legislative shifts needed to force genuine innovation in materials, this ban establishes important precedent. We need this same energy applied systematically, not just to the most obvious offenders.”
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)
Dan Cooke, director of policy, communications and external affairs, said: “The introduction of a disposable vape ban is a sensible step in the right direction for managing a challenging waste stream and supporting circular economy principles,”
“As previously stated, tackling the environmental impact of single-use items is a key part of minimising unnecessary waste and building a more circular and sustainable planet.”
Welsh government
Deputy first minister, with responsibility for climate change, Huw Irranca-Davies said: “Single-use vapes create litter and plastic pollution; this ban will help stop the serious harm these products cause to our wildlife and environment.
“They should be recycled at a vape shop, or taken to a local authority recycling centre, to be disposed of safely. Vapes should never go in the bin as they are susceptible to catching fire.”
Minister for mental health and wellbeing, Sarah Murphy added: “In addition to the environmental impacts, we know single-use vapes are being used by children and young people and are a factor in the significant increases in youth vaping that we have seen in recent years.
“The single-use vape ban being introduced will help us to protect children and young people from vape products so that they never start vaping and avoid the harms caused by nicotine addiction.”
Keep Wales Tidy
Keep Wales Tidy chief executive, Owen Derbyshire said: “We warmly welcome Welsh Government’s decision to ban single use vapes – something we’ve been calling for in recent years.
“Nearly half of all clean-ups undertaken by our volunteers last year found these harmful products. They’re a blight on our communities, a danger to wildlife, and near impossible to recycle.
“It’s great to see this level of ambition from government, alongside a clear commitment to tackling the broader litter problem at source.”
Meadow
Ross Murdoch, chief sustainability officer at packaging technology company Meadow, said: “Single-use design has unacceptable environmental consequences that can no longer be ignored.
“But the vape industry’s response so far has largely been to repackage the same single-use mindset into a slightly more complex device.
“These new devices will be billed as re-usable but most people will buy them, use them for a short period and throw them away, before purchasing a new device later on – all without bothering to recharge or refill it.
“For a lot of users, the new design is less of a reusable product and more of a slightly bulkier, more expensive disposable. Effectively, the cost of the ban is being passed on to consumers as a form of tax on the same behaviour.
“Disposable vapes are not just a public health concern – they’ve become an environmental scourge. Designed to be used once and discarded, they often end up in the street, in parks and in waterways. We’re all used to seeing them. Even when they are thrown into main waste streams such as household bins, they still cause environmental issues. Most contain valuable and recoverable materials – including lithium batteries and metal components – but are rarely disposed of properly and due to their design are difficult to recycle at scale.
“But banning one format doesn’t automatically solve the problem. There’s still further to go.
“Whilst this new legislation is a good first step, a more nuanced approach is required moving forward to ensure that the products that brands are producing are actually designed with circularity in mind, as opposed to just being made to circumvent policy.”
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