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UK to Ban Disposable Vapes by Summer 2025

The UK government has confirmed that the sale of disposable single-use e-cigarettes will be banned in England and Wales from June 2025.

The move to ban disposables was first announced in January 2024 as part of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to create a smoke-free generation. It was originally expected to be enacted at the end of 2024, but the General Election and subsequent change of government meant it was put on hold.

Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) and the Department for Health & Social Care announced the revived legislation on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, and suggested that while the law may be passed in Parliament before the end of this year, retailers and suppliers will have until the June deadline to clear any remaining stock.

Much of the language in the announcement was around the environmental impact of single-use devices, although the health impact and concerns about underage vaping are also mentioned. The government has said that it hopes the ban will kick-start the push towards a circular economy, help to curb the rise of young people taking up vaping, and also protect the natural environment and town streets from a tide of litter.

“This is the first step on the road to a circular economy, where we use resources for longer, reduce waste, accelerate the path to net-zero and create thousands of jobs across the country.”Mary Creagh, Circular Economy Minister.

Last year, it was estimated that nearly five million single-use vapes were either discarded in the street or thrown away in general household waste every week in the UK, almost four times as much as the previous year and the equivalent of eight being thrown away per second. Environmental scientists and activists are understandably pleased with the government announcement.

“When they’re littered, the nicotine, plastic and batteries they contain are all extremely harmful. Even when they’re put in a bin, their batteries can catch fire. The government is right to ban these harmful devices – it’s a welcome step in the journey towards an economy where waste is reduced by design.”Libby Peake, Green Alliance.

In the UK, many of the best-known disposable vape brands have already introduced devices that use disposable pre-filled pods, presumably to stay ahead of the changes proposed by the previous government and that were always likely to be enacted by the new one in time. It is not yet entirely clear if the new legislation will be structured in a way that also affects the sale of these semi-disposable vapes.

The UK government has also said that it will introduce the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will include new laws on the supply of tobacco, vapes, and other products. These will include prohibiting the sale of tobacco to people born on or after 1 January 2009 and new product requirements in connection with tobacco, vapes, and other products.

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Russ Ware Author Picture 2

Russ Ware

Russ is a UK-based Staff Writer for Versed Vaper who has been in journalism for more than two decades, having previously written for tech publications like Lifewire. He tried vaping in 2015 but the setup that he was using wasn’t quite right and so he didn’t enjoy it at first. However, after going back and forth between vaping and smoking for a couple of years, he started experimenting with different coils, power levels, and mixing his own vape juice. The rest is history and Russ has been a devoted vaper ever since. Russ is a passionate writer and he produces reviews, news, and well-researched informational articles for our site. When Russ is not testing or writing about vapes, he likes to travel, read true crime, and eat anything with lots of chilies.

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