Disposable vapes contribute to the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, destroying vital resources and polluting our planet. Their complex material composition means that they will always be logistically difficult, labour intensive, and expensive to recycle. This is why many of us involved in the reduce, recycling, reuse, repair and reimagine agenda in local government and the Labour Party believed a total ban was the best solution. We  campaigned and lobbied for a ban and welcomed the announcement in late January of a ban to be introduced.

An estimated 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away every single week in the UK, up from 1.3 million in 2022. Most of these either litter our streets or are being thrown in the bin, so urgent action was clearly needed. They contain precious lithium and copper, which are critical for our green transition but are being depleted at an unsustainable rate. The disposable vapes sold in north London each year contain the same amount of copper as at least 11 vital electrical vehicle charging stations.     

While we appreciate that vapes may be a tool to help people stop smoking, there are refillable and reusable options already on the market and these need to be promoted as the only option. Disposable vapes are unnecessary and unsustainable.   

Plastic is wreaking havoc on the environment and while we welcome existing efforts to tackle this problem, disposable vapes are even more toxic than the many single-use plastic items already banned. Taxpayers should not have to bear the costs of recycling them, picking them up when they’ve been littered, or repairing vehicles and machinery which have been damaged by battery fires.   

Single-use vapes are also dangerous for rubbish collectors as the lithium batteries inside are a major fire risk. In fact, research by Material Focus found that more than 700 fires in bin lorries and recycling centres across the country have been caused by batteries in general waste. 

We are grateful and thankful to everyone who has lobbied, campaigned and mobilised to complete the Government’s consultation on this ban, whether coming from an environmental or health rationale to support it. We now need Government to get on with getting the ban in place and fast.