Disposable vapes will be banned in England and Wales from June 2025 to protect children’s health and reduce environmental damage, the government has said.

Similar restrictions are expected in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), almost five million single-use vapes are expected to be either littered or thrown into general waste every week in 2023.

Batteries thrown away in household waste cause hundreds of fires in bin lorries and waste-processing centers every year.

Along with lithium-ion batteries, vapes also contain circuit boards that – if not disposed of properly – can release toxic compounds like cobalt and copper into the environment when destroyed.

If these minerals and lithium are recovered, they can be reused for green technologies such as electric car batteries or wind turbines. These industries are already facing potential shortages of these metals as demand for clean energy increases, external,

The government said that in 2022, a total of more than 40 tonnes of lithium-containing vapor would be discarded, enough to power 5,000 electric vehicles.

However, vapes are not easy to recycle due to their size and the way they are manufactured, making them difficult to take apart.

According to the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment, there is currently no large-scale disposable vape recycling in the UK, external Because there are so many different types of vapes available on the UK market.

This makes it difficult to develop a standard way to process small lithium batteries.

Research published in 2023 showed that only 17% of users recycled their disposable vapes.

The government said a ban on disposable vapes in England will come into effect from June 1, 2025, giving retailers time to sell their remaining stock.

This would include single-use vapes that cannot be refilled or recharged, external,

Wales has already said it will impose a similar ban on the same date, and the devolved governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit.

Outlining its plans in the King’s Speech in July 2024, Labor said it would:

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said separate legislation to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after January 2009 will be introduced into Parliament before Christmas.

The previous Conservative government also announced plans to tackle vaping and smoking.

However, its Tobacco and Vapes Bill did not become law by the time of the July general election, so the Labor government is introducing its own legislation.

Using e-cigarettes or vapes is not as harmful as smoking cigarettes.

However, health experts agree that anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping.

Doctors say vaping can cause long-term damage to youth’s lungs, heart and brain.

The inhaled vapor contains small amounts of chemicals, often including the addictive substance nicotine.

More research is needed to fully understand the health effects of e-cigarettes.

But in December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) said: “There is growing worrying evidence of their adverse effects on population health.”, external

Illegal vapes are widely available and are much more likely to contain other harmful chemicals or drugs.

Cigarettes contain tobacco, tar and many cancer-causing toxic chemicals and are the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the UK., external,

About half of lifelong smokers will die early, losing on average about 10 years of life.

This is why people who smoke are urged to stop smoking, with nicotine vapes being the most effective means of quitting smoking – better than nicotine patches or gum., external

Research shows that people who get face-to-face support while using vapes may be twice as likely to quit smoking, external Compared to those using other methods.

But vaping is not harmless, so it is only recommended for adult smokers who are offered free vape kits to help them quit as part of the “Swap to Stop” program on the NHS.

The NHS says thousands of people have quit smoking by using vaping as an alternative.

According to the Office for National Statistics, about 5.1 million people in the country used vapes or e-cigarettes in 2023.

The highest rate, about 16%, was among 16–24 year olds.

Just under 6% of people 16 years of age or older vape every day, while another 4% do so occasionally.

According to research published in The Lancet, the number of people vaping in England has increased significantly despite not smoking regularly., external,

It found that e-cigarette use among this group increased from one in 200 people to one in 28 in 2021 – just over one million people.

Fewer people in the UK are smoking than ever before – about 12% of the population in 2023, or six million. In 2011, 20% of people smoked.

It is illegal to sell nicotine-containing vapes to people under 18 or for adults to purchase them on their behalf.

But vape use has increased among young teens.

According to an online survey of 2,000 children by health charity ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), almost 8% of 11-17 year olds used vaping in April 2023., externalThis was up from 4% in 2020.

Vaping is now twice as common among children as smoking.

America Some vape flavors, such as mint and fruit, are specifically banned in e-cigarettes.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reversed a 2022 ban on products sold by Juul, one of the country’s largest e-cigarette companies. It added that a full review of Juul’s products is pending.

The company had previously settled more than 5,000 US vaping legal actions after being accused of targeting teenagers.

In Australia Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are usually available only on prescription,, external For smokers who want to quit tobacco. And pharmacies don’t sell disposable vapes.

new zealand New regulations were introduced in 2023, banning most disposable vapes and targeting flavors that appeal to children.

countries including south korea, India And brazil At the same time, very strict vape rules have also been brought China Sanctions have been announced.

However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88 countries have no minimum age to purchase vapes, and 74 countries have no laws for e-cigarettes., external,