Disposable vape ban begins – but will it have an impact?
Source: BBC News, 1 June 2025
The ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes will come into force on Sunday across the UK, aimed at protecting children’s health and the environment. It means shops and supermarkets will no longer be able to stock them – but they can still sell rechargeable or refillable devices.
Disposable vapes have been cited as a key driver in the rise in youth vaping, while every week five million vapes are thrown away. Ministers predict it will have a significant impact but health experts say further regulation is needed to tackle youth vaping.
Retailers in England and Wales breaching the ban face a £200 fine for the first offence with potentially unlimited fines or jail for those who repeatedly re-offend.
The ban was first announced for England and Wales by the previous Conservative government but the law was not enacted before last summer’s general election. Labour then pushed ahead with it. Scotland and Northern Ireland have introduced their own bans, timed to coincide with the one in England and Wales.
Less harmful
Vape use has risen rapidly over the last decade with 9% of the British public now buying and using e-cigarettes. Latest figures suggest about one in four vapers use the disposable versions, although that proportion has fallen since the ban was announced.
And while it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, disposable vapes, often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones, have been cited as an important factor in the rise of youth vaping. Currently one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds vape but have never smoked.
Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking but it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS.