The government’s announcement that disposable vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 has sparked concern from suppliers and industry experts on the health ramifications of the decision
Liam Humberstone, technical director at supplier Totally Wicked, says the origins of vaping as a smoking cessation tool should not be forgotten. “While we understand the reasons behind the ban, it’s crucial to ensure that adult smokers continue to have access to safer alternatives to cigarettes,” he says.
Humberstone continues: “This ban will affect a proportion of smokers, and many recent ex-smokers, who rely on the convenience of disposable vapes. It will be essential for the industry and regulators to ensure adult users have access to other vaping options that can support their quit-smoking efforts.”
He goes on to point out that the focus should now be on educating smokers about reusable and more sustainable vaping options, which are equally effective and more environmentally sustainable. “However, we also recognise the growing concerns surrounding the use of disposable vapes by underage individuals, as well as the environmental issues linked to single-use products.
“We strongly believe that proper regulation, enforcement, and education are vital in addressing these concerns and protecting young people from accessing products that are not intended for them.”
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Retailers have their say on the disposable vape ban announcement
Pascal Culverhouse owner of vape company Electric Tobacconist, agrees - but goes further, saying that the ban could even be deadly. He added: “Banning disposable vapes might help the environment and conserve lithium for electric cars, but we risk endangering young lives to do so. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he’s willing to embrace a ‘nanny state’ approach to save lives, yet vaping is one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking, which causes 74,600 deaths annually in the UK.”
“We fully support keeping vapes out of children’s hands, but by driving them to the black market, we expose them to unregulated products, potentially laced with dangerous chemicals and drugs like spice. This is a case of ‘landfills before lives’ where we are putting the planet first, while ignoring the risks this ban imposes on vulnerable kids. Instead of outright bans, we should prioritise better education and regulation of legal products, ensuring safety standards are met. This way, we can protect both the environment and our youth without adding more risks.”
Andrej Kuttruf, CEO of Evapo, is fully behind the idea of a licence for vape retailers. “We fear any ban on disposables will only fuel the illicit market, driving customers into the hands of criminals and taking properly regulated and tested products out of regulatory oversight.
“Whilst we agree that Trading Standards needs more funding to better enforce the current rules, we believe the best solution is an introduction of a licensing scheme to control who can sell vaping products, which the government has said it is actively considering. A licensing scheme, where every vape shop and convenience store would have to pay £1,000 a year to obtain a license, would raise upwards of £55 million for Trading Standards’ vital work to enforce existing laws, helping to support the NHS, stop the criminals, and protect children.”
Meanwhile, Riot Vape say they have always been on a mission to eradicate disposables, regardless of the upcoming ban. “We want to overhaul the culture of single-use disposables and the endless trail of lithium batteries they leave behind,” chief executive Ben Johnson explains. “We hope consumers - whether users of disposables or not - will join us in doing so. By choosing a smarter, more innovative product, they’ll not only be making a more sustainable choice, but also overhauling their own vape experience.”
Elfbar agrees that the focus should remain on the health benefits of vaping. A spokesperson commented: “Ensuring adult vapers continue to have access to viable alternatives is crucial, particularly if governments are to meet their respective smokefree targets.
“Our distributors work with producer compliance schemes to support the costs of recycling used vapes, which is evolving due to the new regulatory requirements we strongly support. We’ve also supplied 1,500 vape bins across the UK through retail partners to aid the recycling, and the number is growing. With six million UK smokers and many adults relying on single use vapes to quit, it’s essential to continue encouraging the switch to reusable options.”
In Westminster, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Environment welcomed the news of the ban. “We’ve long campaigned for this landmark step to halt the environmental damage caused by vapes, as well as protecting child health,” it announced on Twitter.
“Disposable vapes are a growing environmental crisis. Though disposable, they contain valuable materials like lithium. Last year, enough lithium was binned in used vapes to create batteries for 5,000 electric vehicles. With current vape recycling rates at under 1%, a ban is the sensible solution. When littered, nicotine, plastic & batteries in vapes harm wildlife and nature. Even in bins, they pose a serious fire risk We welcome the ban and this step towards a more circular economy.”
Finally, Mark Oates, founder of campaign group We Vape, expressed concern about the announcement. “This decision is going to cost lives because disposable vapes are hugely popular with adults looking to make the switch from smoking. It will also have very little impact on children accessing vapes because the devices are already age restricted.”
Mark added that to counter such problems, better enforcement is needed. “What’s needed is proper enforcement of the law against traders who are prepared to sell to minors and a vape licencing scheme for retailers - as is applied with alcohol - would ensure those selling illegal vapes or caught selling to children can be stripped of their licence.
“Instead, we’re going to see an explosion in the black market for unregulated disposable vapes because removing a product does not remove its demand. The government is in danger of replicating the issues we see in Australia, where such a black market has led to violent turf wars in cities and suburbs. Littering concerns with disposable vapes could also be addressed with a deposit return scheme, so this decision will not solve the problems it is designed to fix.”
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