UK ban on single-use vapes comes into force

Single-use vapes will no longer be stocked or sold in Scotland under new legislation that has come into force.

The UK-wide ban has been introduced to prevent the environmental damage disposable vapes cause and to cut their use among young people in line with government ambitions to create a tobacco-free generation by 2034.

The crackdown on the devices makes it illegal for any retailer, ranging from corner shops to supermarkets, to sell them.

Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a £ 200 fine in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending.

An estimated 26 million disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023. Of these, more than half were not recycled properly, and around 10% were littered. The batteries used in disposable vapes are difficult to recycle, leak harmful waste, and can cause fires in waste facilities.

Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Scotland was the first nation in the UK to commit to taking action on single-use vapes.

“It’s estimated that over half of disposable vapes are incorrectly disposed of each year in Scotland – creating a fire risk and littering our beautiful environment. They also contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

“This change to the law fulfils a Programme for Government commitment and will help tackle the threat that single-use vapes pose to our environment as well as to our public health.

“We have worked closely across the four nations to ensure a consistent approach to a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes and will continue to work with regulators regarding enforcement once in force.”

An estimated 26 million disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023 STV News

Moves to raise the age of sale of tobacco products and regulate the displays, flavours, and packaging of reusable vapes are being pursued separately through the four-nations Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

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, the equivalent of eight being thrown away per second.

There was an exponential increase in children’s use of e-cigarettes in Scotland, driven by the popularity of disposable vapes, between 2018 and 2022.

Data collected by Keep Scotland Beautiful highlighted that single-use vapes were the fastest-growing litter type in 2024/25. With half of people in Scotland saying sightings of the products have become more common in the past 12 months, we know that a ban will help reverse this trend.

Source to Sea litter surveys carried out by Marine Conservation Society volunteers in streets, parks and beaches revealed an increase in prevalence of vapes from being recorded on 46% of surveys in Scotland in 2023 to almost all – 85% – of surveys carried out in 2024.

Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We first became aware of the impact single-use vapes were having on our environment back in 2022 when members of the public and our volunteers were noticing them more often and asked what could be done.

“I’m proud of the effort we have made, alongside our partners, to see this product banned in Scotland – it shows what true collaboration can achieve.

“Our surveys and supporters have made it clear that this product was becoming more and more common, spoiling our environment and causing danger to wildlife.

“We are dealing with a litter emergency and the last thing we need is single-use products coming to market that can end up discarded harming our environment. This ban will help remove the fastest growing litter item from our streets, parks and beaches and is a welcome step in the right direction, but everyone must dispose of their waste in the correct way.”

Disposable vapes to be banned in Scotland STV News

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “We celebrate the ban of cheap recreational disposable e-cigarettes, which are the starter vaping product for most youngsters who vape, as a vital first step towards halting the alarming upsurge of children vaping in Scotland during the last few years.

“Although we warmly welcome these regulations coming into effect, government must take further, stronger actions to restrict the advertising and promotion of all e-cigarettes as well as banning vape flavours, colours, descriptors and branding on device designs and packaging to reduce the attractiveness of the products to children.

“The tobacco and nicotine industries must be halted in their attempts to attract children to use their addictive and health harming products, generating huge profits at a considerable cost to the health of our young people now and future generations.”

Catherine Gemmell, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said volunteers found vapes on 85% of their litter surveys in 2024.

She added: “Littered vapes can leak harmful chemicals and microplastics into the environment which can find their way into our seas and pose a real risk to marine life.

“This is a great step in removing single-use products from the market. We know bans and charges like this work, having seen a decrease in things like single-use plastic bags in our litter surveys. Like so many areas of our society, we must move away from other single-use products, including plastic cigarette filters, towards a circular economy – one in which refilling and reusing is the norm, rather than throwing away and polluting our environment.”