UK ban on disposable vapes goes into effect
LONDON : A ban on disposable vapes goes into effect across the UK tomorrow in a bid to protect children's health and tackle a 'throwaway' culture.
'For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine,' junior environment minister Mary Creagh said.
She said the government was calling 'time on these nasty devices' – a type of e-cigarette which are very popular with young people – and banning sales of single-use vapes or their supply in a crackdown on UK corner shops and supermarkets.
Those caught flouting the ban will face a £200 fine, while repeat offenders risk up to two years in prison.
Young people and children in particular have been attracted to cheap and colourful disposable vapes, which have snazzy flavours such as mint, chocolate, mango or watermelon, since they were introduced in the UK in 2021.
In 2024, nearly 5 million disposable vapes were thrown away each week, according to Material Focus, an independent UK-based non-profit.
More than 40 tonnes of lithium, a key metal used in the technology industry, was discarded each year along with single-use vapes – enough to power 5,000 electrical vehicles, the NGO said.
Fire services have also warned about the risk of discarded vapes catching light among household rubbish.
'Every vape has potential to start a fire if incorrectly disposed of,' said Justin Greenaway, commercial manager at electronic waste processing company SWEEEP Kuusakoski.
The new law, first proposed by the previous Conservative government, also aims to stem a rise in vaping.
'This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking,' said Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive for health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
A recent ASH survey said 11% of adults vape, or about 5.6 million people, and 18% of 11 to 17 year olds – about 980,000 under 18s.
Among vapers, some 52% of young adults aged between 18 to 24 preferred single-use vapes.
The long-term health risks of vaping remain unclear.
E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke.
But they do still contain highly addictive nicotine.
The upcoming ban has already led to a fall in disposable vapes.
According to ASH, the use of disposables by 18-24-year-old vapers fell from 52% in 2024 to 40% in 2025.
The UK ban follows similar European moves.
Belgium and France became the first EU countries to ban sales of disposable vapes.
Ireland is also preparing to introduce new restrictions.
But critics have argued many users will simply switch to refillable or reusable vaping devices, which will limit the impact on nicotine consumption.
And industry experts say the ban could lead to more illegal products entering the UK market.
The bill 'only makes it illegal to sell disposable vapes – it does not prohibit their use', warned Dan Marchant, director of Vape Club, the UK's largest online vape retailer.
'We risk a surge of illegal and potentially dangerous items flooding the black market.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
9 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Poland's Tusk unveils new cabinet in bid to reverse decline
Donald Tusk's coalition has steadily declined in opinion polls since mid-2024. (AP pic) WARSAW : Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a cabinet reshuffle today in a bid to regain momentum amid falling approval ratings and potential clashes with the new, opposition-backed nationalist president. Since Karol Nawrocki's victory over Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski in June's presidential election, dissension within the ruling pro-European coalition has grown, raising doubt about its future under a veto-wielding head of state. Under the reshuffle, foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski was promoted to deputy prime minister while keeping his current post. 'We as a government need a very strong political figure in international relations,' Tusk told reporters. To consolidate oversight of economic affairs, Tusk announced a new super ministry combining finance and the economy to be headed by current finance minister Andrzej Domanski. 'The most important structural undertaking is building a viable financial and economic centre. There will be a single centre operating transparently and implementing a comprehensive economic policy,' Tusk said. Milosz Motyka from junior coalition party PSL will head a newly created energy ministry. A judge, Waldemar Zurek, was named to run the justice ministry as it seeks to shore up rule of law standards that critics say deteriorated under the previous nationalist government. Tusk's coalition has steadily declined in opinion polls since mid-2024. This month, the share of government opponents has risen to 48% while the government's support has held steady at 32%, the latest CBOS poll showed. Polls have traced the government's drop in popularity to public disenchantment with a lack of concrete achievements, with the opposition landing effective blows over a failure to stem undocumented migration into Poland. The reshuffle drew criticism from the main opposition Law and Justice party, which lost power in the 2023 election. 'Reconstruction means nothing other than the further destruction of Poland. Some incompetents were replaced by others,' the party's vice president, Mariusz Blaszczak, said in a post on X. Nawrocki, who will be sworn in as president on Aug 6, has questioned the coalition's pro-European, liberal agenda but said he is willing to accept moves to increase the tax-free pay threshold and deregulate parts of the economy. 'All laws that will be good for Poles will meet with my approval,' Nawrocki said in the televised interview on Monday. Tusk, in his remarks announcing the reshuffle, called on supporters not to despair after Nawrocki's presidential victory. 'No defeat, including the presidential election, justifies this mood or despair, this slackness, these thoughts of surrender… The time of post-election trauma definitely ends today,' the former European Council president said.
Free Malaysia Today
9 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US quits Unesco, cites Palestine's membership as a factor
US President Donald Trump withdrew from several international bodies during his first term. (EPA Images pic) PARIS : President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the UN culture and education agency Unesco today, repeating a move he had already ordered during his first term, which had been reversed under Joe Biden. The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, which was founded after World War II to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture, will take effect on Dec 31, 2026. 'President Trump has decided to withdraw the US from Unesco – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the common sense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House spokesman Anna Kelly said. The state department said remaining in Unesco was not in the national interest, accusing it of having 'a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy'. Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay said she deeply regretted Trump's decision, but that it was 'expected, and Unesco has prepared for it'. The agency had diversified its sources of funding, receiving only about 8% of its budget from Washington, she said. Unesco was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement global climate change accord and the UN Human Rights Council. During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps. Unesco officials said the US withdrawal would have some limited impact on programmes the US was financing. Tensions? Israel welcomed the US decision to quit Unesco. The US state department said one of the reasons for the withdrawal was Unesco's decision to admit Palestine as a member state, which was 'contrary to US policy and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation'. Unesco officials said all relevant agency statements had been agreed with both Israel and the Palestinians over the past eight years. 'The reasons put forward by the US to withdraw from the organisation are the same as seven years ago even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and Unesco today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism,' Azoulay said. 'These claims also contradict the reality of Unesco's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism.' Diplomats said it was felt at Unesco that the withdrawal was inevitable for political reasons, given that Biden had brought the US back and had promised to repay arrears from the first time Trump pulled out. Unesco, whose full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is best known for designating world heritage sites, including the Grand Canyon in the US and the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. The US initially joined Unesco at its founding in 1945 but withdrew for the first time in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias, returning in 2003 under president George W Bush, who said the agency had undertaken needed reforms.
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Australia makes second US$525mil Aukus payment amid US review
Australia sees the nuclear-powered submarines as critical to its defence in the Indo-Pacific. (EPA Images pic) SYDNEY : Australia has paid the US A$800 million (US$525 million) in the second instalment under the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, despite an ongoing formal review of the agreement by US President Donald Trump's administration. Prime minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the latest instalment today, following an initial US$500 million paid in February. In 2023, the US, Australia and Britain unveiled details of a plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Australia committed to spend A$368 billion over three decades in its biggest-ever defence deal. Canberra is due to pay the US US$2 billion by year-end to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards, Reuters reported in April. 'There's a schedule of payments to be made. We have an agreement with the US as well as with the UK, it is about increasing their capacity, their industrial capacity,' Albanese told national broadcaster ABC. 'As part of that as well, we have Australians on the ground, learning those skills.' Trump launched a formal review of Aukus in June to examine whether the pact met his 'American First' criteria. It will be led by Elbridge Colby, who in the past has expressed scepticism about Aukus. Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defence as tensions grow over China's military build-up, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed. 'We support Aukus,' Albanese said. 'We have an agreement to a treaty level, with our partners, signed, of course in San Diego with the US and UK.' Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, while Britain and Australia will later build a new Aukus-class submarine.
