Last month marked the start of a UK-wide ban on disposable vapes. From June 1, it became illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
From this date, products will only be compliant if they are refillable and rechargeable. The UK Government announced plans to ban disposable vapes in January of last year in a bid to cut their use among young people. In Northern Ireland, the legislation was passed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs ( DAERA ) and is designed to have many health and environmental benefits.
The crackdown makes it illegal for retailers to sell or supply them, but they will still be allowed to sell reusable vapes, meaning products will only be compliant if they are refillable and rechargeable. Reusable vapes continue to offer a range of flavours.
The ban on all disposable vapes, whether or not they contain nicotine, applies to both online and in-store sales across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales. It’s estimated that as many as five million single-use vapes are simply thrown in bins or littered every week across the UK rather than recycled.
Disposable vapes are single-use and come prefilled with e-liquid. They also have a built-in coil and battery, which makes them an all-in-one package. Once the battery or e-liquid runs out, you just throw the whole kit away. Meanwhile, refillable vape kits are reusable and last much longer than disposable ones. Although they also have a 2ml tank, this can be refilled with e-liquid for multiple uses.
The new restriction aims to reduce the number of vapes going into landfills or being discarded as litter, where they can release harmful substances into the environment and endanger wildlife. It will also prevent the use of valuable resources such as cobalt, copper, and lithium in single-use devices.
Disposable vapes are non-refillable and unable to be recharged. They 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, and their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment.
In a recent poll, we gave you, our Belfast Live readers, the opportunity to have your say on the disposable vapes ban. We asked if you supported the government banning disposable vapes. An overwhelming 543 of you backed the move compared to 126 against, while 19 said they didn’t know.
We also asked if you knew the difference between a disposable and reusable vape and on this question, 611 of you said yes while 74 responded no.
But when it came to whether you thought the ban would actually lead to a decline in disposable vape use, the results were very close. In response, 288 of you said yes, 277 said no, and 123 said they didn’t know.
In case you missed it, here’s all you need to know about the disposable vape ban.
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