LONDON (dpa-AFX) - New legislation aimed at banning the sale of single-use vapes in the United Kingdom has been presented in Parliament.
Subject to parliamentary approval, businesses will have until June 1, 2025, to sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force. The UK Government and Devolved Governments have worked closely and will align coming into force dates.
Making the sale of single-use vapes illegal delivers on the Government's commitment to act on this important issue, and kick-starts the push towards a circular economy and helps to curb the rise of young people taking up vaping.
'Single-use vapes are extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities. That is why we are banning single use vapes as we end this nation's throwaway culture,' Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said.
'It's deeply worrying that a quarter of 11-15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today,' said Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne.
Single-use vapes are not rechargeable or refillable, and are typically discarded as general waste in a bin or littered, rather than recycled - contributing to a flood of litter on UK's streets.
Last year, it was estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK.
Vape usage in England grew by more than 400 percent between 2012 and 2023, with 9.1 percent of the British public now buying and using these products. The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown, and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches.
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