What is going on here?
The quote above from Defra minister Mary Creagh points to the UK government’s recent announcement that the sale of single-use vapes will be illegal in England and Wales, from June 2025. The move is designed to limit the environmental impact caused by these products and prevent their consumption by children.
What does this mean?
Vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery powered devices which dispense inhalable aerosols, typically containing nicotine and flavourings. The addictive quality of nicotine and the characteristic disposable nature of vapes lead to a staggering increase in UK usage of 400%, from 2012 to 2023. The UK department for environment estimates that 9.1% of the UK population are now consuming vapes.
Why should we care?
By their very nature, single-use vapes are disposable – they cannot be refilled or used again once they are empty. This presents an obvious problem in terms of their environmental burden. These products tend to be difficult to recycle and usually they end up being sent to landfill. Once there, their batteries can leak harmful substances into the environment, such as lithium and mercury. Getting these products into the correct waste stream also presents a challenge; all too often they can be seen littering the streets of towns and cities. Those that do end up being disposed of pose a fire risk, with hundreds of fires each year being caused by vapes ending up in household waste. A further environmental impact of vapes results from the resource consumption involved with producing the product’s batteries. It has been estimated that the quantity of lithium wasted every year in the UK is equivalent to the amount required to produce 5,000 electric vehicles.
The other critical reason for banning single-use vapes is to deter people from consuming vapes in general, especially children. The long-term health outcomes associated with consuming these aerosol products is unknown due to their novelty. What is known is that nicotine – which is in many vapes – is a highly addictive stimulant. The use of vapes by children has been found to cause disrupted sleep, disrupted concentration and subsequent problems with addiction.
Seen through the lens of both environmental preservation and pro-social benefit, the banning of single-use vapes is a clear winner in the UK. In Ireland and Belgium plans have been set out to ban these products, while other countries including New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, India and Brazil have restrictions in place already.
Be Curious!
- Read our previous article Vaping vs. Smoking vs. Planet: Should we ban all nicotine use?
- Read more about the environmental cost of single-use vapes with Material Focus.
- Read the UK government’s press release about the announcement.
- Find out about the health impacts associated with vaping from Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Photo: Sophie Johnson
