Ahead of the crackdown on the sale of single use or disposable vapes, Liverpool city council have been cracking down on the supply of illegal vapes this year after closing down over 15 stores suppling them.
The new legislation is set to be enforced from June 2025.
It is estimated that almost 5m disposable vapes were littered or thrown in general waste every week within the UK. The vapes that are being recycled take a long time to be disassembled as it has to be done by hand, which makes it almost impossible to keep up with the pace they are being produced at.
Liverpool city council have closed over 15 stores selling illegal vapes this year, with the estimated value of vapes being seized around £220,000.
Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health at Liverpool City Council, said: “The continued success of our work targeting illegal vapes has now resulted in a large number of these harmful products being taken out of circulation.”
Just over 9% of the British public now buy and use single use vapes. The rise in use began around 2021, as prior to this they were mostly used as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes and were targeted to an older market.
However, disposable vapes are now being used by children as young as 11. This is partly because the way that they are now marketed with bright colours, sweet-like flavours and ease of accessibility making them more appealing to a younger market.
This ban is part of the government’s commitment to end the nation’s throwaway culture and stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our high streets, countryside and oceans.
The Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne, said: “Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.
“It’s deeply worrying that a quarter of 11-15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today.”
The climate activist and environmental scientist known as Less Waste Laura added: “Disposable vapes exploded on to the market, becoming perhaps the first mainstream disposable electronic device to litter our streets and reflecting the relentless evolution of the tobacco industry.
“The UK Government’s action to ban these single-use products in 2025 is a welcome, and crucial, step. The ban isn’t just about cutting littered vapes; it challenges the broader rise in disposable technology driving a concerning larger increase in electronic waste, with its associated fire risk, and use of scarce materials.”
Featured image (c) Mia Shuell
