Single-use vape ban comes into force in Scotland
From June 1, it is now illegal to sell or buy disposable vapes in the country, with only vapes considered reusable being legal.
The Scottish Government, as well as the Northern Ireland Executive, had delayed the decision to outlaw the product to align with a similar ban in England and Wales.
Ministers say the UK-wide ban is needed to prevent the environmental damage caused by vapes, while addressing health concerns from inhaling nicotine.
READ MORE: Labour have 'given up' on by-election amid SNP-Reform contest, says John Swinney
The measure will form part of the Government's plans to move towards a tobacco-free generation by 2034.
An estimated 26 million disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023. Of these, more than half were not recycled properly, while around 10% were littered.
The batteries used within disposable vapes are difficult to recycle, leak harmful waste, and can cause fires in waste facilities.
Moves to raise the age of sale of tobacco products and regulate the displays, flavours and packaging of reusable vapes are also being taken forward separately through the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Gillian Martin, Scotland's acting Net Zero Secretary, said: 'Scotland was the first nation in the UK to commit to taking action on single-use vapes.
(Image: Web)
'It's estimated that over half of disposable vapes are incorrectly disposed of each year in Scotland, creating a fire risk and littering our beautiful environment. They also contain nicotine which is highly addictive.
'This change to the law fulfils a Programme for Government commitment and will help tackle the threat that single-use vapes pose to our environment as well as to our public health.
'We have worked closely across the four nations to ensure a consistent approach to a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes and will continue to work with regulators regarding enforcement once in force.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Sir Keir is not yet willing to commit fully to the nation's defence
Sir Keir Starmer did his best to strike a statesmanlike pose yesterday as he announced the conclusions of Labour's long-awaited Defence Review, claiming that it would move the UK's Armed Forces to a position of 'war-fighting readiness', while making Britain a 'battle-ready, armour-clad nation'. And, at a time when the global threat environment becomes more challenging by the day, it is clear that the Government is fully aware that more needs to be done to ensure that the nation can defend itself against hostile states such as Russia. Furthermore, to judge by the announcements made by Sir Keir and Defence Secretary John Healey yesterday, there is recognition that the slow and steady decline in the war-fighting capabilities of our Armed Forces that has taken place during the era of the 'peace dividend' is no longer tolerable. For the UK to defend itself, there has to be a serious upgrade both in the military firepower available, as well as the indigenous industrial base that is so essential to maintaining supplies of vital weaponry. In this respect, the recommendations made by the Government's Strategic Defence Review represent a step in the right direction, even if they only address some of the shortcomings facing the military. At the heart of the Government's programme is an ambition to upgrade the nation's nuclear capabilities, with £15 billion of investment earmarked for the nuclear warhead programme. In addition, the Government is aiming to expand the conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet, with up to 12 new boats to be built. The focus on these key areas of our national defence structure is related to the new Aukus pact signed by the UK, Australia and the US in 2021 to enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, the Government is aiming to acquire a number of US-made jet fighters that are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, a move that will significantly expand the military's ability to deliver tactical nuclear options across a wide range of scenarios, rather than relying solely on the strategic Trident missile systems. Other welcome changes outlined in the review include a move to increase stockpiles of munitions and other military equipment, with the Forces working closely with industry to ensure that production can be increased rapidly in the event of conflict. The military has often before found itself in the embarrassing position of having to ask key allies such as the US to provide urgent supplies after British stockpiles have been exhausted after just a few days of fighting. The procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons, whose utility has been amply demonstrated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will mean that, in future, Britain will be able to protect its own interests rather than constantly relying on allies to bail us out. The creation of a new Cyber Command, meanwhile, reflects the fact that, in the ever-changing complexion of the modern-battlefield, cyber operations have become as crucial to modern war-fighting operations as conventional weapons. While the focus on these areas reflect the changing nature of the threats we face, there will undoubtedly be those who believe that not enough attention is being paid to the glaring deficiencies in other areas of military strength, such as the diminished size of the Army, the overall lack of fast fighter jets and the scarcity of surface warships. The fact that the shortcomings in these crucial areas of our national defence are not fully addressed reflects a woeful lack of ambition on the part of Sir Keir's administration. And, even though the Defence Review sets out a number of new priorities, the primary question remains: how the Government intends to pay for it. When Sir Keir unveiled his plans in a speech in Glasgow yesterday, he insisted he was committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, but that his aim to raise spending to 3 per cent by 2034 was only an 'ambition'. Three per cent is now seen as the bare minimum by Nato leaders. Indeed, a consensus is building around a figure of 3.5 per cent. Setting aside the likelihood that Sir Keir will still be resident in Downing Street in nine years' time, his inability to commit to such an increase will inevitably raise doubts about his Government's commitment to improving our defences. Sir Keir's inability to provide a clear-cut commitment to raise spending to the level necessary to provide a tangible boost in capability is also unlikely to placate some of the more hawkish voices in the Trump administration. They argue that European nations like the UK are not making sufficient investment in our own defences. At a time when the White House is seriously questioning its future relationship with Nato, any suggestion that a key ally like the UK is not taking its defence obligations seriously could ultimately spell the end for the transatlantic alliance and the Special Relationship.
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Sir Keir launches a new fleet of subs, but we can't even fend off a single dinghy
Happy Strategic Defence Review Day, when Santa pops down the chimney and hands out guns to childish MPs. Once more: 'everything has changed'. Yet again: 'the world is more dangerous than ever'. This time the Government is going to make us safer by attaching nuclear bombs to planes. Clearly someone has never seen Thunderball. The PM launched Operation Sound Butcher Than Reform at a shipyard in Govan, underscoring the preposterous but influential belief that Russia intends to invade Britain. If it does, it better not start with hard-as-nails Govan. They don't just throw Molotov cocktails, they drink 'em. As always with the PM's speeches, the crowd looked as if they were gathered around a grave, the life gradually sucked out of them as Starmer droned on about drones. Sailors, he said, told him 'nothing works unless we all work together. In this moment of danger for our country, that's the spirit we need!' The good news is we're halfway there – 'nothing works' – though why he proposes to launch a billion submarines into the Atlantic when we can't fend off one dinghy in the Channel, je ne sais pas. The Tories hit upon the real problem with the review: they hadn't read it. Later in the Commons, shadow boom-boom secretary James Cartlidge vented that while he'd not been given a copy, the media and industry enjoyed advanced sight that morning, defying parliamentary custom and raising serious questions about security. Cartlidge needs to put his own house in order. By leaning over the press gallery, any spy disguised as a correspondent for the Racing Post could easily read the notes he had balanced on his knee. The word SECURITY! was scribbled in pen. The Telegraph knows more than we do, lamented MPs. Simon Hoare suggested the House be suspended. We were one glass of sherry from a buffer demanding a general election. If you want to see the review so much, said Defence Secretary John Healey, I'll leave some copies outside. 'Attenshun!' Mark Francois marched out like Windsor Davies, returned with a review and it wound up in the lap of Jesse Norman: what do you expect me to do with it, ducky? Jesse got as far as the foreword before obviously finding it as dull as ditchwater, flipped open his phone and read his WhatsApps instead. The Telegraph provides you with in-depth analysis; all Jesse could say is that the review is competently stapled. Healey talked nonsense - '...best of defence technology with the heavy metal of our platforms...' and the Tories pointed out that without a budget, his pledges remain 'fantasy'. Tan Dhesi, the dim chairman of the defence committee, asked if this strategic defence review will be 'fully matched with a completely, corresponding, ambitious strategic defence review', apparently unaware that we were discussing said review right now. The most interesting contributions came from what remains of the Commons Left, who wished to know why the Government is switching from strategic to tactical nuclear weapons, ie defensive to offensive, and how this will increase independence if the tech is reliant upon America. Labour's voting fodder laughed; one could smell the uranium on their breath. It's good for jobs, they said. But if there is a nuclear war, I doubt unemployment will be our chief problem.
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Reform UK to pilot Doge-style scheme to examine council spending
Reform UK has told council officers they will face 'gross misconduct' if they obstruct an Elon Musk-style department of government efficiency unit to examine all council spending in areas they control. The party will pilot the Doge-style scheme in Kent county council, led by a team including the Brexit donor Arron Banks as well as cybersecurity entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried. The move has been criticised as 'political theatre' by senior local authority figures and opposition politicians. The Conservative peer and pollster Robert Hayward told Politico he had written to the Electoral Commission arguing that the Reform volunteers should be scrutinised under political donation rules as a donation in kind. Lord Hayward said: 'Without full disclosure, the risk is that any donation could be buying access or influence election results.' Announcing the new initiative, Reform said the team would start to go through all council expenditure, beginning with Kent county council, to identify wasteful spending in the manner of the unit set up by Musk under Donald Trump with the aim of cutting wasteful spending. It said it would use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions'. It said all council officers should hand over all documents requested, including internal investigations or whistleblowing reports relevant to financial matters. It added: 'Should you resist this request, we are ready to pass a council motion to compel the same and will consider any obstruction of our councillors' duties to be gross misconduct. We trust this will not be required.' The instruction was signed by the council leader, Linden Kemkaran; the party chair, Zia Yusuf, and the Reform leader, Nigel Farage. Announcing the scheme, Yusuf said: 'For too long British taxpayers have watched their money vanish into a black hole. Their taxes keep going up, their bin collections keep getting less frequent, potholes remain unfixed, their local services keep getting cut. Reform won a historic victory on a mandate to change this. 'As promised, we have created a UK Doge to identify and cut wasteful spending of taxpayer money. Our team will use cutting-edge technology and deliver real value for voters.' Farage told GB News that all of those involved were doing it on a voluntary basis. He said: 'This is day one of Doge. The Doge team has gone into County Hall in Maidstone in Kent this very morning, a team of young tech entrepreneurs who are not being paid. They're doing it of their own free will, and we're going in to have a look at Kent, have a look at the contracts, to have a look at the expenditure. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'We hope that the Kent chief executive and the council will work with us because, of course, many of the decisions, decisions on spending, would have been political decisions. No, Doge is active, up and running as we speak.' Cllr John Merry, the deputy mayor of Salford who chairs the Key Cities group of 24 councils across the UK, said Doge was 'absolutely the last thing local authorities need right now'. He said: 'I hear daily from members facing mounting pressures across vital services like Send [special educational needs and disabilities], social care and homelessness. In this context, it is difficult to see how Reform's Doge initiative offers any meaningful solution. What councils need now is not inefficient cost-cutting at the margins, but a serious commitment to long-term funding reform – one that aligns grant allocation with local needs and supports a resilient foundation for economic growth.' Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said: 'If you're looking at Elon Musk's Doge and thinking that is how we want to have our bins collected and potholes filled – you might be learning the wrong lesson.'
