New laws in the UK will ban the sale of disposable vapes as from June 1, 2025 to protect kids’ health.
This crackdown will also stop the menace of plastic littering after an estimated five million vapes a week were thrown away last year — quadruple the number reported from 2022.
The Government expects Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to implement this law on the same cut-off date.
However, refillable vapes will remain available as doctors use them to help people to stop smoking.
The move is coming as fears that more kids are illegally buying disposables are on the rise, especially as many of them now come in bright packaging with flavours including bubblegum, candy floss and cola.
Ministers also want to bar users from destroying the environment with the throwaway devices.
Over 40 tonnes of lithium, used in the batteries, was discarded with disposable vapes in the UK in 2022. That amount is enough to power 5,000 electric cars.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly braced himself for further accusations of “nanny state” interference after a number of measures were placed, including the proposed outdoor smoking ban.
