Be prepared for disposable vapes ban
Fresh is urging anyone using disposable vapes as a tool to quit smoking to be prepared ahead of a ban on single use vapes from June 1.
The upcoming ban on disposable vapes will prohibit the sale and supply of single use vapes in England, Scotland, and Wales. Coming into effect on June 1, 2025, under environmental legislation, any vapes legally on sale must be reusable, meaning that they can be recharged and refilled.
Vaping is much less harmful than smoking and while they are not entirely risk-free, vapes are playing an important role in helping smokers to quit with six out of ten people who quit smoking in the North East over the last five years using a vape. Fresh is stressing that the disposable vapes ban is not a ban on all vapes and that adults who use vapes to quit smoking will still have access to a wide range of vaping products, including reusable and refillable versions of popular vapes widely available from vape shops.
If you vape, read our tips and Q&A here.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “The new rules will help take plastics out of the environment as waste while also reducing easy access of vapes to children. But adults will still have a full range of effective options to help them to quit lethal tobacco smoking.
“For people still using disposables now, buying a refillable device instead could save you money within weeks. Having a chat with an adviser could also help you ensure you get as much nicotine as you need to quit smoking and get more out of vaping as a quit aid.
“If you vape to quit smoking, it is important to switch completely and stay off tobacco. If you are concerned or in doubt, talk to your stop smoking service or specialist vape shop to help you make the switch.”
But she added: “Beside vapes, we shouldn’t forget that tobacco is also toxic for the environment as well as lethally toxic for people who smoke. Cigarette butts make up the vast majority of discarded items of litter going to landfill sites and the poisons in discarded cigarettes such as arsenic and lead pollute our soil, waterways and seas, harming our wildlife.”
Vapes are offered by most stop smoking services in England as part of the national Swap to Stop initiative. They are also offered to patients admitted to hospital in some trusts/mental health settings to stay off lethal tobacco smoking. Many refillable devices are now available for less than half the cost of a packet of cigarettes.
For retailers and stop smoking services, the ban means they have until June 1 to distribute any remaining stock. After this point, it will be illegal to sell or supply disposable vapes. There are no exemptions to the ban for any settings or purposes.
Local authority Trading Standards will lead on enforcing the ban within their area. If you suspect that someone is supplying single use vapes after the ban, contact your local Trading Standards service.
NHS advice is clear – that nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking as well as one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking. Vaping is not completely risk free and children and non-smokers should never vape: Vaping to quit smoking – Better Health – NHS
Whether they are reusable or disposable, vapes should be properly recycled to protect the environment. According to Recycle Your Electricals, almost 80% of materials in vapes can be recycled, and if every vape were properly recycled, we would have enough lithium to power 10,000 e-cars. You can find your nearest vape recycling point here.
All vape retailers should dispose of stock safely before June 1 and offer a ‘take back’ service for used vapes, pods, coils, and batteries.
DEFRA has produced guidance on the ban, which includes information for healthcare settings as well as definitions of single-use vapes and reusable vapes which will not be banned:
Definition of a reusable vape
To be reusable, a vape must:
- have a battery you can recharge
- be refillable with vape liquid
If the vape has a coil, it must be one that can be replaced by an average user – this includes any part of the product that heats or generates a vapour when interacting with the product’s ingredients.
The vape may be refilled by either:
- filling up the tank or cartridge with e-liquid
- inserting new pre-filled pods
Refills (pods or vape liquid refill bottles) should be separately available for users to buy.
If the vape has a coil, it may be replaced by either:
- removing and replacing it
- removing and replacing a pod or tank that contains it
The coil (whether part of a replacement pod or tank, or not) should be separately available to buy.
