Glasgow City Council warning ahead of disposable vape ban
The ban will start on June 1, 2025, and will see the sale of the single-use electronic cigarettes.
It's a ban that'll be rolled out across the UK and is said to address the 'environmental and public health challenges' posed by disposable vapes.
The council have urged shops to check over their stocks and prepare for the changes to ensure they won't be breaking the new law.
Enforcement of the ban in Scotland will be carried out by local Trading Standards teams.
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Glasgow City Council warning ahead of disposable vape ban (Image: PA) Businesses in violation may face seizure of non-compliant products, a fixed Penalty Notice of at least £200 or criminal prosecution with fines of up to £5000.
The Glasgow City Council site explains 'why the ban matters': "Single-use vapes are difficult to recycle and typically end up in landfills, where their batteries can leak harmful waste like battery acid, lithium, and mercury into the environment.
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"Batteries thrown into household waste also cause fires in bin lorries and waste-processing centres. Defra estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown into general waste each week last year."
The ban applies to both in-store and online sales.
It covers all products classified as single-use vapes, which are identified as not being designed to be refilled or recharged.
Trading Standards advise that sellers should stop buying new stock, sell all existing stock before June 1, and arrange for the environmentally responsible disposal of any unsold single-use vapes.
The Glasgow Times previously reported that the Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) were supporting shops in ensuring compliance with the new legislation.
At the time, Pete Cheema, chief executive at SGF, said: "Our members - including those across Glasgow - are committed to responsible local retailing and operating within the law.
"It's important that we do all we can to help ensure they are fully prepared for this significant change, so that staff and customers are all properly educated about what the new law entails.
"There is no transitional period in play here.
"From June 1, it will be an offence for a person or business to supply or offer to supply single-use vapes - or have them in their possession for supply.
"Any leftover stock come that date must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'not for sale'."
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a day ago
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From Sunday, it will be illegal for any business in the UK to sell or supply single-use, disposable vapes. It aims to reduce waste, protect the environment, and discourage young people from developing the habit. Those found breaking the law and selling disposable vapes after June 1 could face a fine or a prison sentence of up to two years. The Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) advised retailers to stay on the right side of the law after the deadline. 'There is no transitional period in play here,' chief executive Pete Cheema said. 'From June 1, it will be an offence for a person or business to supply or offer to supply single-use vapes – or have them in their possession for supply, 'Any leftover stock, come that date, must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'not for sale'.' For Scottish consumers, it means that single-use, disposable vapes will no longer be available for purchase. From June 1, if vapers want to continue with their habit, they will need to switch to more sustainable, rechargeable, and refillable vape options. That's likely to come with a higher price tag. For retailers, it means that it will be an offence to supply, or have in their possession for supply, single-use vapes. Any leftover stock must be discontinued and stored separately from items for sale, clearly marked as 'Not for Sale'. The Scottish Parliament passed legislation to ban the sale of disposable vapes last year but enforcement was delayed so that it could coincide with similar laws in England and Wales. The law makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and gives new powers to local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices to people breaching the age of sale legislation for both tobacco products and vapes. According to the Scottish Government, an estimated 26m disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023. It was estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. That's the equivalent of eight being thrown away per second. 'Litter is one of the reasons we're doing that – the lack of people properly disposing of them is a real issue,' Gillian Martin, acting cabinet secretary for net-zero and energy, said. Barry Fisher, chief executive of environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, said disposable vapes were becoming 'more and more common', 'spoiling' the environment, and causing danger to wildlife. 'We are dealing with a litter emergency and the last thing we need is single-use products coming to market that can end up discarded harming our environment,' Mr Fisher said. 'This ban will help remove the fastest growing litter item from our streets, parks and beaches and is a welcome step in the right direction, but everyone must dispose of their waste in the correct way.' There's a health aspect to the ban as well, as vaping continues to become more popular among children and young people. In 2023, 20.5% of children had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and 13.9% in 2020 'One of the issues around disposable vapes is they're attractive to children who shouldn't really be vaping at all,' Martin said. 'They're not stopping smoking necessarily, they're actually picking up another habit. So there's a health aspect to this as well.' Former health minister Andrew Gwynne previously added: 'It's deeply worrying that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today. '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.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
