Disposable vape ban takes effect today – here’s what you need to know
The sale and supply of single-use vapes has been banned in the UK from today.
People will still be allowed to smoke the controversial disposable vapes, but shops can no longer sell them legally.
Ministers said the move is designed to protect children’s health and prevent environmental damage, with devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also introducing the ban from today.
Businesses were told to ‘sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force’ ahead of June.
The illegal supply of single-use vapes carries a £200 fine at first instance from council Trading Standards, who enforce the ban.
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If the supply continues, punishment could be an unlimited fine, a prison sentence of up to two years, or both.
Many users have said that they are willing to resort to the black market when the ban starts, and they typically have about nine week’s worth of disposable vapes.
A ban was previously announced by the Conservative government in January, but was not enacted until after the general election.
Disposable vapes are considered extremely harmful for the environment, being difficult to recycle and full of harmful waste such as lithium, battery acid and mercury.
‘I started vaping at age 12- I really regret the decision’
Holly Bowman, a 17-year-old schoolgirl from Ireland, began vaping when she was just 12 and ‘really regrets’ that decision.
When I started vaping it was no big deal,’ she said.
‘It was just something that everyone else did and it made me feel grown up. At no point did I think it was going to be a long-term thing.
‘Little did I know I would become addicted so quickly. When you’re 12 you don’t even know what addiction is really.
‘Five years later I still can’t kick the habit. Both the cost and health implications aren’t sustainable for me. It’s a decision I really regret.’
Holly’s Mum, Nicky Bowman, sits on the board of management at an Irish school and says vaping is a challenge she has deal with every day.
‘It’s a huge problem,’ she said.
‘We’ve had to increase CCTV at the school because there were hidden corners where kids would vape in between lessons. We had to introduce new toilet rules because kids as young as eleven are vaping.
To make matters worse, batteries thrown into bins cause hundreds of fires at waste processing centres and the back of refuse trucks every year.
It is estimated that around 40 tonnes of lithium has been discarded in the past 12 months- enough to power 5,000 electric vehicles.
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimates that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away every week in 2023.
And vape use in the UK has boomed. Around 9.1% of the population is believed to have bought and used them – a 400% increase between 2012 and 2023.
However, latest figures from Action on Smoking and Health show that use of single-use vapes fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% so far in 2025.
Despite the rapid popularity many products can only dream of, 40% of users said they are in favour of the ban, according to a poll of 1,000 adults by übbs Pouches, an online nicotine brand.
Defra’s circular economy minister, Mary Creagh, said that ‘for too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine.
‘That ends today.
‘The Government calls time on these nasty devices.’
Caroline Cerny, the deputy chief executive at Action on Smoking and Health, said: ‘It’s promising to see that many people switched away from disposable vapes to re-usable products well ahead of the ban.
‘This is particularly marked among young people, who were more likely to use disposable products due to their attractiveness, affordability, and heavy marketing.
‘This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking. It will be up to manufacturers and retailers to ensure customers are informed and able to reuse and recycle their products securing a real change in consumer behaviour and a reduction in environmental waste. If behaviour does not change then further regulations will be possible following the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.’
Around 48% of children caught vaping are less than eleven years old, research has found.
It is already illegal to sell disposable vapes to anyone under 18, but the smaller, more colourful packaging on many of them is seen as a ‘key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping’, the previous government said.
Although vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking cigarettes, it has not been around long enough for its long-term effects to be studied, according to the NHS.
‘I was instantly addicted’
Nor should its addictive qualities be downplayed. Speaking about the ban on Good Morning Britain, ITV presenter Kate Garraway admitted becoming ‘instantly addicted’ to vaping again after giving it during pregnancy.
She told hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley: ‘The last thing I want to do is anyway in sanction [vaping], because I don’t know.
‘But my experience was, after Billy was born, I did smoke before and I was craving going back to smoking [but] didn’t want to.’
But after stumbling upon some vapes which were being used on set as ‘props’, she said her addiction was instantly reignited.
‘I think we had some props in here or something ridiculous, and I picked it up and I was instantly addicted, like beyond anything!
‘I couldn’t believe it and it made me realise how, particularly those disposable ones, are so addictive.’
She added: ‘They’re so easy to do, and they deliver such a hit, so I don’t know that it’s a solution to ban the disposable ones, but they’re everywhere.’
Mum Crystal Baynam spoke to Metro about her dismay upon discovering her 15-year-old daughter had started vaping at school.
She said: ‘Katie, just 15, had been caught using a vape, and I was completely stunned.
‘This was despite the fact that a few weeks earlier I had found a disposable vape – pink lemonade flavour – in her room, which Katie had explained away, claiming it belonged to one of her friends.
‘When I received the message about Katie’s detention, I was also told that they could throw the vape or give it back to her.
‘It shocked me that handing kids back a vape was even an option, and without a moment’s hesitation, I told them to throw it away.’
She added: ‘Katie has confessed that she loves some of the bright colours on the packaging, which is why I agree with the government’s conclusion these products are aimed at children.
‘The fact that these vapes are cheaper and disposable too, makes them easier for teens to afford and hide from their parents. I certainly didn’t suspect anything until that call from the school.
‘Now, I can’t get my daughter to quit.’
Libby Peake, head of resources at Green Alliance, said: ‘Single use vapes should never have been allowed on the market. They’ve been a blight on our countryside, wasted resources needed for important uses like EV batteries and caused scores of fires at waste sites. And they’ve done all this while having a lasting impact on the health of young people, creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.
‘The government should rightly be proud of taking this vital step to get rid of these polluting products and encourage people who want to quit smoking to opt for reusable and refillable options instead.’
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