On a May morning in Slough, residents on a street left their homes to be confronted with five tonnes of rubbish strewn all over the road in front of them.
Rubbish collection services told them they had no choice: a disposable vape in one of the bags had caused a fire in their lorry and could have set the whole vehicle alight, leading to an even worse catastrophe.
Fires caused by the incorrect disposal of vapes are just one of the reasons why the government has voted to ban single-use e-cigarettes from June 1, 2025.
The other? To protect the health of children who are attracted to their flavours, the kind of which you’d normally expect to find in a sweet shop.
The ban is a move I support, even as a vape user. I’ll admit some flavours are delicious - more so than the sticky must of traditional cigs, at any rate - but the rise in children sucking on Lost Marys and Elf Bars is perturbing.
Who are vapes for?
While there is still much to discover about the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes, bodies like Public Health England have famously said that vapes were 95 per cent safer than smoking normal cigarettes. However, a government report led by King’s College London academics found that vaping is not entirely risk-free, especially if you’ve never smoked before.
Bottom line? Vapes should be used by adults as a smoking cessation tool, not by kids and young adults who have never smoked before.
A rise in vape-related fires
The environmental impact is worrying too. The main issue is the lithium batteries inside disposable vapes, which can explode if damaged.
While recycling centres, supermarkets and vape stores offer dedicated disposal bins, millions are just chucking them into their usual household rubbish, leading to a rise in incidents like the one in Slough.
The BBC reported that vape-related fires rose from 89 in 2020 to a whopping 399 in 2024, according to a Freedom of Information request by The Electric Tobacconist. London saw 14 vape-related fires in 2024, compared to just three in 2020.
Find where to dispose of vapes responsibly at Recycle Your Electricals, which lists local drop-off points.
Are all vapes being banned?
The incoming vape ban won’t apply to devices you can recharge and refill, which tend to be more expensive than disposables and favoured by frequent users rather than on a whim before a night out. They will also need to be the kind of gadget where you can access and change the coil. Anything else will be removed from the shop floor from June 1, 2025.
The clock is ticking for disposable vapes, but if you’re looking for an alternative, there are options. Nicotine pouches, to be worn behind the lip, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, as are battery-free vapes and breathing tools that won’t wreck your health or the environment.
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Nordic Spirit
I first tried Snuss, a small pouch designed to sit between the gum and inner lip, in Sweden more than a decade ago. The concept has since found footing in the UK, with Nordic Spirit one of the most prominent nicotine pouch brands around.
The tobacco-free pouches come in a little tin, and with no vapour to emit, you can use them anywhere. While the sensation of having something wedged in your mouth takes some getting used to, the lack of scent and rubbish in the form of a vape or cigarette butts are two big pluses.
The pouches come in different flavours and nicotine strengths (which means you can wean yourself off the drug), lasting up to half an hour a go. Once you're done, they can go in the bin or stuck back in the tin get rid of later.
Buy now £6.50, Nordic Spirit
ZYN Icy Mint XX Strong Nicotine 12.5mg x 21 Pouches
Menthol cigarettes were banned in the UK in 2020, but if you still favour a minty buzz, these pouches are a good alternative.
From ZYN, who offer a range of flavours, this one has 12.5mg of nicotine per pouch, which is about the same as a standard cigarette.
It's amongst the strongest content offered by the range, but lower strengths are available too, giving you a way to break the hand-to-mouth habit and decrease your nicotine consumption.
Buy now £6.50, Tesco
Velo Cherry Ice 6mg Nicotine Pouches 15 Pack 6.3g
Switch over from vapes to nicotine pouches while keeping the flavour you love with Velo's option, which offers a range that sounds incredibly familiar to Lost Mary users.
Filled with icy cherry notes, this pack offers 15 pods with 6.3g of nicotine each, around half the nicotine content found in traditional cigarettes.
Buy now £5.00, Tesco
Ripple+ The Sampler
Vapes can help you quit cigs, but what then? Are you trading one bad habit for something slightly less harmless?
Enter Ripple, a company that makes plant-powered recyclable aromatherapy diffusers with zero nicotine to wean you off the drug for good. The menu offers a range of enticing flavours - all vegan and made with botanical blends - designed to get you off vapes once and for all.
The company says all its devices are recyclable, and will send over a free shipping label to return them, so you won't even have to find a collection point.
Buy now £39.00, Ripple+
FUM Journey Pack
Another healthy vape alternative, FUM has you picking a barrel of your choice (maple wood or walnut), before choosing flavours (liquorice is intriguing) and a mouthpiece and waiting for delivery.
What you'll get is an all-natural alternative that mimics the hand-to-mouth habit of vaping. It is nicotine-free flavoured air that requires no power - except perhaps, your own willpower.
Buy now £81.29, FUM
PAX Mini Premium Portable Vaporizer
Highly portable and powered by a simple one-button operation, the PAX Mini is a brilliant option for those in the market for a fuss-free, low-maintenance vaporizer. It heats up in 22 seconds and has over two hours of continuous battery life on a single charge. Chic and sleek, it has a 3D oven screen which pops out easily for a deeper clean.
Buy now £98.99, Amazon
NiQuitin Clear Patches - 10 Week Bundle - Steps 1, 2 & 3 (21mg, 14mg & 7mg)
NiQuitin is a market leader and this 10-week plan is designed to wean heavy smokers (who are on 10+ a day) off cigarettes and nicotine in three steps.
All three boxes are clearly marked for ease of use, and each contains transdermal patches with lower and lower levels of nicotine so your body gradually gets used to needing less. The manufacturers say these products are suitable for adults and children aged 12 years and over, but you must be at least 16 to buy them.
Buy now £109.83, Amazon
Nicorette Starter Bundle: Nicorette Invisi 25mg Patch 7s & Icy White 2mg Gum 105 Pieces
Give yourself the best possible chance at stubbing out cigarettes for good with Nicorette's bundle, which includes gum as well as a box of seven patches. Designed to help heavy smokers, the clear patch releases nicotine slowly while the gum is there to help with intense cravings as they occur.
Buy now £23.00, Boots
Breathing Necklace
If you can't shake the habit of holding something between your fingers and sucking in, switch to something 100 per cent less harmful. Breathing necklaces like these allow quitters to keep the habit of drawing in without ingesting anything other than air. They're made from stainless steel so are easy to keep clean and can be used to soothe anxiety too.
Buy now £8.99, Amazon
