Why are disposable vapes being banned and how harmful is vaping?

From Sunday, it will be illegal for companies to sell or provide disposable vapes.

The government hopes that the prohibition will reduce the environmental damage caused by devices and help the number of children and young people vaping.

Disposable vape ban

From June 1, 2025Companies will be prohibited from selling or providing single -use vapes, whether in stores or online.

The retailers surprised breaking the law in England are faced with a minimum fine of £ 200, with a prison sentence of up to two years for repeated offenses. The penalties are generally similar in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Negotiation standards will be able to seize the single -use vapes they find.

Only the devices considered to be reusable will be legal. This means that they must have a rechargeable battery, a replaceable coil and be rechargeable.

It will not be illegal to have a disposable vape after June 1. Customers can always return them and retailers have the obligation to get rid of them.

Vaping tax

Vaping products are already subject to 20% VAT but, unlike tobacco, they do not currently attract a separate additional tax.

A new vaping duty will start on October 1, 2026. He will be billed at a flat rate of £ 2.20 per 10 ml of vaping liquid.

At the same time, tobacco will be increased to preserve financial incitement for cigarette smokers to switch to vaping.

Prohibition of advertising and sponsorship

The Government Tobacco and Vape Bill – which is currently making its way through Parliament – prohibits advertising and sponsorship of the vape.

It will also restrict the flavors, the packaging and the display of vapes and other nicotine products.

The children were targeted with colors, a brand image and flavors such as chewing gums or candies, to push a product that can lead to nicotine dependence, warned the British Medical Association.

Illegal vape

The government also represses the Vapes Iilegal, which are widely available and are much more likely to contain other harmful chemicals or drugs.

According to the BBC analysis, more than six million illegal vaping products have been seized by commercial standards agents across England between 2022 and 2024.

The ban on disposable vapes was introduced to combat their impact on the environment.

Nearly five million single -use vapes were thrown every week in 2023, according to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

In addition to lithium-ion batteries, vapes also contain printed circuits. If these are not eliminated properly, they can flee toxic compounds such as cobalt and copper.

This means that fish and marine mammals could confuse vapes with food and ingest toxic chemicals.

The Association of Local Governments (LGA), also says that single -use vapes are “a danger for collecting waste and layoffs and cause fires in trucks”.

However, recycling of disposable vapes is not simple because of their size and how they are made, which makes them difficult to dismantle.

These minerals and lithium could – if they are recovered – be reused for green technologies such as electric car batteries or in wind turbines.

There is currently no recycling of large-scale disposable vape in the United Kingdom. There are so many types of vape on the market that it is difficult to develop a standard recycling process.

About 18% of 11 to 17 years (980,000 children) tried vaping, according to a survey in 2024 by Health Charity Ash (Action On Famed and Health).

About 7% (390,000 children) said they were currently vapor, compared to 8% in 2023, but still well above the figure of 4% recorded in 2020.

On the other hand, just over 5% of 11 to 17 years (280,000 children) said they had currently smoked, while just under 3% (150,000 children) said they had smoked and won.

Among all age groups over the age of 16, the use of vapes increased, with around 5.1 million people using a vape or an electronic cigarette in 2023.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates that 5.9% of people aged 16 and over vaped each day, slightly compared to the previous year, while 3.9% additional did it.

The group with the highest rate of use of the vape – almost 16% – was 16 to 24 years.

Vaping is far from being as harmful as smoking cigarettes, which contain tobacco, tar and a range of other toxic chemicals cancer of cancer, and is one of the largest avoidable causes of disease and death in the United Kingdom.

But because vaping can itself cause long-term damage to lungs, hearts and brains, it is only recommended for adult smokers who try to leave as part of the NHS “Swap to Stop” program.

The inhaled steam contains a small amount of chemicals, including often addictive substance nicotine.

“Vapes can be an effective way for adult smokers to leave – but we have always been clear that adult children and non -smokers should never spray,” said the Ministry of Health and Social Coins.

Additional research is necessary to fully understand the effects of vaping, but in December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that “alarming evidence” have developed about the damage it causes.

In February 2025, the government said that a research project of 62 million pounds sterling followed 100,000 eight to 18 years for a decade to better understand the risks.