Single-use vapes are now banned in the UK, following a ban that took effect on June 1, 2025. This means it is now officially illegal to sell or supply any single-use (disposable) vapes, including those without nicotine, across the country. The ban, which was initiated last year by the previous Conservative government and pushed through by Labour, is primarily aimed at protecting children and young people.

A seemingly necessary move after it was revealed that youth vaping has increased significantly since the 2021 rise of the easily-accessible disposable vapes. While it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18, the childish appeal of bubblegum and fruit flavoured, colourfully packaged, easily concealed disposable vapes cannot be denied. In the UK, Currently one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds vape despite never having smoked. 

However, prior to the introduction of disposable vapes, the trend of young people smoking had been on a downward trajectory for the last 15 years. It's currently estimated that one in ten 18 to 24-year-olds smoke cigarettes, a significant decrease from 2011 figures, when almost a quarter (25.7%) of 18 to 24-year-olds smoked. Whilst the exposure to nicotine addiction that vapes create is considerable, It is widely understood that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. However vaping has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks and effects to be known by the NHS.

Another damaging effect of vaping that the government are attempting to curb, is the devastating environmental impact. An estimated 5 million disposable plastic vapes are binned and littered every week, according to Material Focus. Most of these are not recycled and must be manually dismantled in order to recycle. The vapes which are not properly disposed of, are not only flammable and create a fire hazard for bin trucks and recycling centres due to their lithium batteries, they also leak harmful chemicals into our soil and water supply. 

Effective today, retailers in England and Wales who do not adhere to the ban will face a £200 fine for their first offence, with potentially unlimited fines or even jail time for repeated offenders. The ban only apply to the sell and supply of vapes, not the use of vapes, however, the Local Government Association urged people to against hoarding disposable vapes ahead of the ban warning that improper storage and stockpiling could pose life-threatening risks. The ban does not apply to reusable, long-lasting vapes, which pose less of a threat to the environment and young people. However, due to this loophole, government officials have urged that tougher bans and regulations on youth vaping still need to be applied.

Action on Smoking and Health chief executive Hazel Cheeseman argued that new refillable vape kits were becoming available that are packaged and priced similarly to the single-use ones. Cheeseman stated:"The new regulations will hopefully help to address the environmental impact, but government will need further regulations to address the appeal of products to teenagers."

For now, today’s ban marks an initial step towards protecting young people and our environment from the unknown effects of vaping and hopefully curbing the 5.6 million adult UK vapers. Environment minister Mary Creagh said: "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."