Have your say! Should disposable vapes be banned?

The government has set a date for removing disposable vapes from shelves. Retailers have been warned to sell their stock before June 1 2025.

Have your say! Did you or someone you know get good use out of disposable vapes? How much do you see them as litter in your area? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.

The move comes as concerns mount over children picking up smoking and vaping habits from easily obtainable single-use vapes. They have rapidly grown in popularity over the past decade, and it's not uncommon to see or smell their fruity flavours everywhere you go.

It is expected that the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will make similar decisions. According to the Mirror, there are a million people in England who never smoked regularly before, but now vape.

The government is also concerned about the environmental impact of disposable vapes. It is estimated that almost five million of them are thrown away, either in the waste or as litter, each week - each one being a plastic shell containing a battery.

They are hard to recycle and most will end up in landfill, leaching chemicals into the ground. It's thought that 40 tonnes of the lithium in their batteries was wasted in 2022.

Vapes were often sold as a healthier alternative to smoking, to help people wean themselves off of the habit without further damage to themselves. Increasingly, they are being sold as a "lifestyle choice", with a huge range of flavours and bright designs available.

It is illegal to sell a child a vape, but they are still finding their way into young hands. Health Minister Andrew Gwynne said: “It’s deeply worrying that a quarter of 11-15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today.”

The ban, along with other measures restricting the advertising vapes and other nicotine products, are part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The Bill was prepared by the previous Conservative government, but was shelved by the election, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting says that the rest of the Bill will be introduced before Christmas.

Also included in the Bill is a shifting age limit on buying cigarettes and tobacco products. Anyone born after January 1 2009 will affected, with the measures aimed at making a "smoke-free Britain".

Have your say! Did you or someone you know get good use out of disposable vapes? How much do you see them as litter in your area? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.