There is less than a month to go before the sale of disposable vapes is illegal in the UK.
The UK is banning single-use vapes because of their environmental impact. Disposable vapes are often discarded as litter, spoiling communities and introducing harmful chemicals into the ecosystem.
The vape ban is also expected to protect children’s health. With exciting flavours and attractive branding, disposable vapes have been criticised for appealing to children.
For the 15.5 percent of Britons aged between 16-24 who identified as daily or occasional e-cigarette users in 2022 according to ONS, this ban may come as an unwelcome move. And the days of their Elf Bar, Lost Mary, and Blue Razz Lemonade Crystal are numbered.
Read also: What's behind Gen Z’s love affair with high-strength nicotine?
When are disposable vapes being banned?
It will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply, offer to sell or supply, or have in their possession for sale or supply all single-use vapes from June 1.
Disposable vapes - a product that is neither designed nor intended to be reused - will no longer be sold online or in-person by retailers, wholesalers, online stores, petrol stations, or supermarkets.
Reusable vapes will still be available for sale and supply. For a vape to be considered reusable, it must be both rechargeable and refillable. This means it must have a battery you can recharge and be able to be refilled with vape liquid either via a pre-filled pod or through filling up the cartridge.
It is important to note that if the device does not allow you to access and replace the coil, it is not a reusable vape. This is even if the device can be refilled and recharged.
From June 1, the MHRA notified products list will be updated to show only the legal reusable vapes in the UK.
What should you do with your disposable vapes?
If you have single use vapes in your possession from June 1, you will not be allowed to sell them.
In the case of a business, you should arrange for these vapes to be recycled. Until then, they should be labelled as unsellable and removed from the shop floor.
The days of blue raspberry and pink lemonade clouds of vapour will soon be a thing of the past and the era of children running around chuffing banana cream fandango will one day feel like a very weird fever dream. It is time to bid your farewells to the disposable vape.
