Latest news with #UKVIA
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Disposable vapes officially banned in the UK from today
Fancy a disposable Elfbar or Lost Mary? You're out of luck. As of today, disposable vapes are now banned from the shelves of all shops in the UK. The crackdown on the devices, also known as single-use vapes, makes it illegal for any retailer, ranging from corner shops to supermarkets, to sell them. The ban applies to both online and in-store sales across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all disposable vapes, whether or not they contain nicotine. Retailers are still allowed to sell reusable vapes. The single-use vape ban follows the soaring use of them in schools and a flood of plastic rubbish from the discarding of the devices. Disposable vapes are non-refillable and unable to be recharged, and are typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled. Even when they are recycled, they need to be taken apart by hand, while their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a fine of £200 in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending. The Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found the number of vapers in Great Britain who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025. 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.' Ash deputy chief executive Caroline Cerny said: 'It's promising to see that many people switched away from disposable vapes to re-usable products well ahead of the ban. 'This is particularly marked among young people, who were more likely to use disposable products due to their attractiveness, affordability, and heavy marketing. 'If behaviour does not change then further regulations will be possible following the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.' Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman added: 'We strongly support robust enforcement activity, starting with the businesses that are already openly flouting the rules by selling illicit products and who will continue to sell disposable vapes once they're outlawed.' More Trending The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) said its members had moved quickly to bring new fully compliant products to market well ahead of the June 1 deadline, but warned of 'serious unintended consequences'. 'Vaping was invented to help adult smokers quit and disposable products became the most successful vape products to do so because they are simple to use and most closely replicate the sensation of smoking,' UKVIA director general John Dunne said. 'We are concerned that this ban will encourage former smokers who have already transitioned from cigarettes – which kill 220 people every day in the UK – to return to combustible tobacco or opt for unregulated vapes. 'We also have clear evidence, from countries including the USA and Australia, showing that black market, counterfeit and illicit vape sales spiked when vape bans and restrictions are introduced.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Lidl urgently pulls popular protein snack from shelves over 'health risks' MORE: Peak District visitors could face £1 entry fee to 'access incredible landscape' MORE: Royal Navy scrambled to monitor Russian ship loitering in UK waters
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Disposable vapes ban ‘will backfire'
The Government's disposable vape ban could backfire and cause people to return to smoking, experts have warned. The ban comes into effect from Sunday and will make it illegal for any retailer, from corner shops to supermarkets, to sell the single-use vapes either online or in store. Shops will only be to sell reusable vapes because of concerns about the soaring number of single-use vapes being used in schools and the 'avalanche' of rubbish the devices produce. But industry leaders warned that the ban may have the 'serious unintended consequence' of losing the vape's original purpose as an aid to quit smoking. John Dunne, the director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said: 'Vaping was invented to help adult smokers quit, and disposable products became the most successful vape products to do so because they are simple to use and most closely replicate the sensation of smoking. 'We are concerned that this ban will encourage former smokers who have already transitioned from cigarettes – which kill 220 people every day in the UK – to return to combustible tobacco or opt for unregulated vapes. 'We also have clear evidence from countries including the USA and Australia, showing that black market, counterfeit and illicit vape sales spiked when vape bans and restrictions are introduced.' Simon Clark, the director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said the products had been popular with smokers trying to quit because they were 'as convenient and easy to use as a combustible cigarette'. 'If you want to encourage more smokers to switch to a potentially less harmful product, it's essential the device is as simple and uncomplicated as possible,' he said. 'The ban is a disproportionate response to youth vaping and environmental concerns that could and should have been addressed by other means, including education and enforcement of existing laws.' Kate Pike, the lead officer for tobacco and vaping at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said it was a 'worry' that the reusable vapes cost the same as disposables. 'It's a real worry that people will continue to use them as single-use disposable and therefore it won't help limit the damage to the environment,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Dunne told the programme the ban was 'ill-thought out' and argued that it would have been 'more sensible' to allow vapes to have larger tank sizes to increase the price from around £5 to nearer £15. The ban is being put forward as part of environmental legislation by the Department for Environment. It is separate from the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is working its way through Parliament and will see further restrictions on the packaging, marketing and flavours of vapes, as well as a ban on anyone born from 2009 onwards being able to buy cigarettes. Figures from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) suggest the number of vapers in Britain who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30 per cent last year to 24 per cent in 2025, while the use of disposables by 18 to 24-year-old vapers fell from 52 per cent in 2024 to 40 per cent in 2025. Caroline Cerny, the Ash deputy chief executive, said: 'This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking. It will be up to manufacturers and retailers to ensure customers are informed and able to reuse and recycle their products, securing a real change in consumer behaviour and a reduction in environmental waste.' Disposable vapes are non-refillable and unable to be recharged, and are typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled. Even when they are recycled they need to be taken apart by hand, while their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a fine of £200 in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said use among young vapers remained too high, and that the ban would 'put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation's streets'. Mary Creagh, the circular economy minister, 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.' James Lowman, the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, 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 June 1. '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.' Campaigners have also warned that the waste crisis driven by disposable vapes could continue after a ban comes into force as cheap new models flood the market. Green campaigners say vape producers have been developing new styles that are cheap but meet reusable criteria, meaning they essentially circumvent the ban. 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.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Vapes being ‘stockpiled' ahead of Labour ban
Vape users are 'stockpiling' disposable devices ahead of a Labour ban that takes effect next month. Online vape shops are reporting that orders of some flavours have more than doubled in the past month as users try to hoard vapes that will soon be illegal to sell. Labour's ban on disposable vapes, first suggested by the Conservative government last January, will require vape users to buy reusable devices. It is part of a government crackdown on tobacco, after data showed the use of fruit-flavoured vapes had become widespread among children. New rules in effect from June 1 mean that corner shops, supermarkets and online tobacconists will no longer be allowed to sell 'single-use' devices. But a founder of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) said users had begun to stockpile vapes while they were still legal. Dan Marchant, who also runs the online store Vape Club, said he had seen a 'significant uplift in disposable sales over the past three to four weeks' with increases of 50 to 100 per cent. 'The most popular flavours have more than doubled,' he said. It comes after trading standards officers warned councils that they lacked the funding to enforce the ban, or to stop the prolific sale of illicit tobacco. Mr Marchant said: 'It's not surprising that adults who have been relying on these products to remain smoke-free are stockpiling ahead of the ban. 'It can take some time to find a replacement product that the user is comfortable with, so having enough disposables to get you by for a few weeks will be a safety blanket for those who are scared they may return to smoking otherwise.' 'Limited impact on vaping' Previous research suggested that the use of disposable vapes was now falling among 16 to 24-year-olds, who are in one of the age groups that most heavily use the devices. A survey by University College London (UCL) found that the proportion of that group that uses disposable vapes fell from 63 per cent to 35 per cent in the last year. The researchers said most users were switching to refillable devices rather than giving up entirely, and that the ban would have 'limited impact' on vaping numbers overall. Government public health guidance says that vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking, but the long-term impacts of the habit are unknown. Announcing the ban last year, Andrew Gwynne, a former junior health minister, said banning disposables would 'reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people'.
