Latest news with #CllrDavidFothergill
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Vapers stockpile disposables ahead of tomorrow's ban - as campaigners warn suppliers have already dreamed up new models to get round the law
Campaigners have warned the threat of a 'vapocalypse' remains with new dreamed up models, as vapers stockpile on disposables ahead of tomorrow's ban. Single-use vapes will be banned from supermarket shelves around the UK as of tomorrow, June 1, but this hasn't stopped fans from rushing to stock up. According to new research by online nicotine retailer, Haypp, 82 percent of disposable vape users are planning to stockpile ahead of the ban. And although the crackdown sought to curb use among young people and reduce the litter and environmental impact, stockpiling poses a threat to the environment and the health of young people. Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, urged shops to comply with the new ban on single-use vapes, dubbing them a 'blight [on] our streets.' He added: 'We would also urge caution to anyone stockpiling disposable vapes. Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose.' Yet stockpiling current vapes on the market isn't the only concern, as green campaigners have warned of cheap new models with the same feel, look, and price as disposable vapes, flooding the market. Material Focus, an advocacy group for circular economies, has said vape manufacturers have been developing new styles that are cheap but meet reusable criteria, meaning they essentially circumvent the ban. They added that increasingly popular 'big puff' vapes are cheaper per inhalation than disposable vapes, arguing there there is little incentive for customers to reuse the product. Scott Butler, executive director of 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.' He added that vape company design teams have been 'working their socks off to get new legal models on to the market' while the regulatory work was being carried out. 'To most users of these vapes, and shopkeepers even, they may not notice any difference in the old disposable vapes versus the new re-useable ones,' he said. Mr Butler said that while the ban will take some of the most environmentally wasteful products off the market, the UK may need more flexible legislation to tackle challenges around new models and waste. Chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, Hazel Cheeseman, has said the incoming new rules 'may be insufficient' by themsleves. 'The Government cannot expect leopards to change their spots,' she said. 'If they want a vaping market with products that have minimal impact on the environment, do not appeal to teens and are safe and effective to help adult smokers quit, then further regulations are needed.' Asked on Friday whether the legislation would be enough to stop vape producers flooding the market with similar products, nature minister Mary Creagh said: 'Well let's bring in the ban first. That's what I would say.' Despite the ban seeking to crackdown on single-use vapes, stockpiling poses a threat to the environment and the health of young people Ms Creagh said the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently progressing through Parliament will look at further restrictions on vape sales and use. 'I'm confident that my colleagues in the Department of Health will not hesitate to use those powers should what we're doing this weekend not achieve the goals,' she said. 'But I'm confident that it is already sparking a conversation among young people… getting them to ask the questions, getting them to understand that there's no such place as 'away' and that these are really difficult to recycle.' She added that most big puff vapes on the market do not have replaceable coils so they are within the scope of the ban. The Government is considering further ways to drive up levels of separately collected electrical waste including vapes as part of reforms to waste electrical and electronic equipment regulations. Under current rules, vape producers already have a legal responsibility to finance their collection for recycling. Vapes contain valuable and critical materials such as lithium and copper that are regularly binned in household waste, and if littered, they can also cause fires and other damaging or toxic impacts on the environment as well as wildlife. To help drive up recycling rates, Material Focus is calling for retailers to make more collection points available as well as the launch of a major communications campaign to drive public awareness about recycling the devices. Mr Butler said: 'The majority of vapers are either unaware of where to recycle their vapes or don't have a good experience of recycling them.' John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said: 'This needs joined-up action from across the waste chain and more effort needs to be done to provide consumers with disposal points at the point of use and not just point of sale.' He added that while the UKVIA works to educate consumers on sustainable vape use and recycling initiatives 'more needs to be done'. 'We would encourage the Government to launch a national consumer education which includes responsible disposal of vapes, why vaping is much less harmful than smoking, and warning of the dangers of buying non-compliant products from the black market or other irregular sellers.' Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at the Wrap charity, said single-use vapes have been a 'huge environmental issue'. 'This ban will help remove disposable vapes while giving people a reusable option,' she added. 'And with businesses which sell vapes legally obliged to provide recycling collections, awareness of this remains limited and needs to be better communicated.'
Sky News
3 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Why stockpiling vapes could be dangerous - as ban on disposables nears
Why you can trust Sky News A ban on disposable vapes comes into force tomorrow, with a warning issued about the "life-threatening dangers" of stockpiling. From Sunday it will be illegal for any business to sell or supply, or have in their possession for sale, all single-use or disposable vapes. Online nicotine retailer Haypp said 82% of the 369 customers they surveyed plan to bulk purchase the vapes before they are no longer available. But the vapes contain lithium batteries and could catch fire if not stored correctly. While more than a third (34%) of people surveyed by Haypp said they would consider buying an illegal vape after the ban, the overall number of people using disposable products has fallen from 30% to to 24% of vapers, according to Action on Smoking and Health. Shops selling vapes are required to offer a "take back" service, where they accept vapes and vape parts that customers return for recycling - including single use products. The Local Government Association (LGA) led the call for a ban two years ago, due to environmental and wellbeing concerns, and is warning people not to stockpile. Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose." How disposable vapes catch fire - or even explode Figures obtained by the Electric Tobacconist, via Freedom of Information requests, found an increase in vape related fires - from 89 in 2020 to 399 in 2024. Many disposable vapes use cheap, or even unregulated lithium-ion batteries, to keep the costs down. These batteries often lack proper safety features, like thermal cut offs, making them more prone to overheating and catching fire. If the battery is damaged, or overheats in any way it can cause thermal runaway - a chain reaction where the battery's temperature rapidly increases, causing it to overheat uncontrollably. 0:49 Then, once these fires start start, they are very hard to stop. Water alone can make things worse if the battery is still generating heat, so they require specialised fire suppressants to put them out. Batteries can then re-ignite hours, or even days later, making them a persistent hazard. Disposable vapes are a hazard for waste and litter collection and cause fires in bin lorries, even though customers have been warned not to throw them away in household waste. They are almost impossible to recycle because they are designed as one unit so the batteries cannot be separated from plastic. Some 8.2 million units were thrown away, or recycled incorrectly, every week prior to the ban. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said usage among young vapers remained too high, and the ban would "put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation's streets". Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: "For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today. "The government calls time on these nasty devices." 'One in five say they will return to cigarettes' Separate research by life insurance experts at found two in five people (37%) planned to stop vaping when the ban starts. Nearly one in five (19%) said they would return to cigarettes once the ban comes into force. The research was based on the answers of 500 UK adults who currently vape.
