The UK’s disposable vape ban came into force at the beginning of the month (1st June 2025). The ban was introduced by the government to limit the environmental damage the irresponsible disposing of these vapes was causing. Additionally, there were concerns that disposable vapes were driving an increase in vaping among young people.
Having spoken to many schools that are dealing with the impact of vaping among young people their efforts to conceal their vapes were also causing health and safety concerns. For example, there are schools that have had their hygiene contracts cancelled due to vapes being found in sanitary bins causing a risk of fire when the contents are crushed. The risk of fires had also been identified by the government.
As the ban came into force the retail trade body, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), called on the government to provide more resources for Trading Standards officers to be able to enforce the law against any traders that are blatantly ignoring it and selling illicit vapes or other products. The ACS said that Trading Standards teams were drastically under-resourced, with officers typically only able to visit a premises as a result of intelligence and reports from consumers or other businesses. Research conducted for ACS last year showed that Trading Standards teams would need £140m over the next five years to deal with illicit vapes alone, with £30m required this year – three times the amount that has been provided to enforcement officers.
Trading body provides guidance for retailers
In March the ACS Chartered Trading Standards Institute and the Local Government Association called on retailers to ensure that they were prepared to comply with the law. To be legal, vapes must now be fully reusable and therefore have a battery to recharge the vape and be refillable with vape liquid. If a vape has a coil it must be one that can be replaced by an average user and a replacement coil must be available to buy separately.
The ACS produced guidance, developed with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, which outlined the steps that retailers needed to take to comply with the ban. It also outlined the other responsibilities of retailers in relation to selling vapes, including age related sales, recycling, and advertising.
This guidance reminded retailers that they must offer a recycling bin for vapes and be prepared to take back any vapes, based on the functionality of the vapes they sell but which could be of any brand. The ACS also developed posters for shops to use informing customers of the ban and also to promote their recycling bins.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We have been working with retailers, the Government and Trading Standards for months on providing detailed guidance that sets out how to spot non-compliant vapes after the ban comes into force, as well as advising retailers on what they need to do with any stock of disposables left over on June 1st.
“We strongly support robust enforcement activity, starting with the businesses that are already openly flouting the rules by selling illicit product and who will continue to sell disposable vapes once they’re outlawed. It is essential that Trading Standards teams are given the resources they need to get illegal vapes and other products off the streets, as these rogue businesses undermine the work of responsible retailers across the country.”
Disposable vape ban enforcement
The disposable vape ban is enforced by a range of agencies including:
- Border Force
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS)
- Trading Standards
Under the disposable vape ban, England and Wales local authority Trading Standards, lead on enforcement and can seize any single-use vapes they find. The punishments that they can issue vary slightly but include being able to issue a stop notice and to issue a fine of £200 in England, while in Wales there is also discretion to issue a variable fine of more than £200.
In Scotland the disposable vape ban is enforced by local authorities that will report criminal cases to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which is responsible for prosecuting offences under the regulations. Here, and in Northern Ireland, those found guilty of supplying, offering to supply or intending to supply single-use vapes could face fines of up to £5,000.
Vaping rise among young people stalls
A recent study, published in the journal Addiction and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that since the announcement of the disposable vape ban last October the rise in young people vaping has stalled.
The research by a team at the University College London (UCL) Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care found that the proportion of people vaping increased by nearly a quarter each year from January 2022 to January 2024, but stayed constant between January 2024 and January this year, including for young people.
After January 2024, they also found a substantial decline in the proportion of vapers mainly using disposable e-cigarettes. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, the proportion mainly using disposables almost halved, from 63% to 35%.
Lead author of the study, Dr Sarah Jackson, said: “Our results suggest that the Government’s ban on disposables … may have limited impact on vaping rates in general, given that vapers are already moving away from disposable vapes. It seems likely that people using these products will move to re-usable versions rather than stop vaping completely.”
We can help schools and other settings in Bristol and across south west England to tackle vaping using the advanced technology of the HALO Smart Sensor. To find out more about this vape detector please contact us.
