UK Vape Ban: Why Disposable Vapes are Prohibited

From June 2025, the sale or supply of disposable vapes will no longer be allowed across the UK. Retailers who violate the UK vape ban rules face serious penalties, including hefty fines and even jail time. This new regulation aims to tackle both environmental damage caused by disposable vapes and the alarming rise in vaping among children.

But why are these measures being introduced, and how harmful is vaping really? Here’s everything you need to know.

How the UK Vape Rules Are Changing

Disposable Vapes Ban

The UK’s new ban on disposable vapes will officially come into effect on 1 June 2025. Businesses will no longer be allowed to sell or supply these single-use devices, whether online or in-store.

Enforcement Measures and Penalties

Fines: Retailers in England who break the law will face a minimum fine of £200. Repeat offenders could be imprisoned for up to two years. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are expected to enforce similar rules.
Seizures: Trading Standards will have the power to seize any illegal disposable vapes they find.

Reusable vapes will still be allowed. However, these must have:

A rechargeable battery
Replaceable coils
Refills for continued usage

Important note: while it won’t be illegal for consumers to own disposable vapes after the ban, retailers will be responsible for proper disposal of remaining stock.

Vaping Tax and Price Changes

Starting 1 October 2026, an additional vaping duty of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid will apply. This is on top of the existing 20% VAT. At the same time, the government will increase tobacco duty to ensure that cigarette smokers continue to have a financial incentive to switch to vaping.

Vape Advertising and Sponsorship Ban

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is moving through Parliament, includes restrictions on:

Advertising and sponsorship of vaping products
Flavours and packaging that appeal to children and non-smokers

Studies show that flavours like “bubble gum” and “candy floss” have been specifically designed to target younger audiences, which contributes to rising addiction rates among teens.

Why Disposable Vapes Are Bad for the Environment

Disposable vapes are among the UK’s fastest-growing waste problems. According to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), five million disposable vapes were being thrown away every week by 2023.

Here’s why they’re causing such a stir:

Toxic Components: The lithium-ion batteries and circuit boards in vapes can leak harmful chemicals into the environment, such as cobalt and copper. These substances contaminate soil and water.
Threats to Wildlife: Marine life can mistake vapes for food and ingest these poisons, leading to severe damage.
Fire Hazards: Vapes pose a risk to rubbish collection systems, with the Local Government Association reporting fires in bin lorries caused by improper disposal.

Can They Be Recycled?

Recycling disposable vapes is challenging due to their size and design. Currently, there’s no large-scale recycling infrastructure in the UK, and the materials inside are difficult to recover. Yet, if recycled correctly, minerals like lithium could be reused in green technologies such as electric car batteries.

Vaping Among Children and Adults in the UK

The surge in vaping among UK youth has been one of the key drivers behind the UK vape ban. A report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in 2024 found that:

18% of children aged 11 to 17 (around 980,000) had tried vaping.
7% of children in that age group (390,000) were regularly vaping.

Though this is down from 8% in 2023, it still far exceeds the 4% reported in 2020.

By comparison, just 5% of children (280,000) reported being regular smokers.

For adults, vaping is also on the rise:

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded 5.1 million vapers among people aged 16 and above in 2023.
Daily vaping was most common among the 16-24 age group, with nearly 16% using vapes every day.

How Harmful Is Vaping?

While vaping is considered less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes, it is not without risks. The NHS “swap to stop” programme encourages vaping as a smoking cessation tool for adults, but it strongly advises against non-smokers or children starting to use vapes.

Health Risks

For Adults: Vaping may cause long-term damage to the lungs, heart, and brain. Although less harmful than cigarettes—which contain tobacco, tar, and dangerous carcinogens like benzene and formaldehyde—it is not entirely safe.
For Children: Nicotine in vapes can disrupt brain development in younger users, leading to addiction and other long-term health issues.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emphasizes that more research is needed to fully understand vaping’s risks. The World Health Organization (WHO) also issued warnings in December 2023 about emerging evidence of vaping-related harm.

Government Action on Research

To address these concerns, the UK government announced a £62 million research project in February 2025. Specifically, this initiative will track the health impacts of vaping on 100,000 children (aged 8 to 18) over the next decade. Furthermore, it will focus on uncovering long-term risks, providing critical insights into the potential dangers of vaping.