Proposed Legislation is Set to Force Scotland To Implement Single Use Vape Product Ban

Following on from the worries voiced last year in the Scottish media, the Scottish government have proposed a plan for a 2025 ban on disposable vape products.

• Scotland to ban disposable vapes from 1^st April 2025 in proposed legislation
• Consultation on Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping to blame.
• Draft legislation is open for public discussion until March 1^st.
• Scotland proposes new bills under the Environmental Protection Act of 1990, set out to preserve Scotland’s areas of natural beauty.

While many rely on disposable vapes as an affordable method of imbibing their daily dose of nicotine, disposable vapes do pose an environmental risk. The risk is not obvious until you count up the number of disposable vapes thrown away in the UK each year.

2024 estimates suggest the UK throws away as many as 5 million disposable vapes per week (London Evening Standard, Sept 2023). Although the portion of this belonging to Scotland translates to about 26 million vapes per year, it still poses a risk to the natural habitats and ground water found throughout Scotland.

The Scottish take particular pride in their natural areas. There have been numerous reports of littering of these disposable vape pens, with some children even injured trying to jump on them. And so the question over the health and safety or environmental impact of vaping isn’t about whether or not the vape device is physically hurting the lungs – but rather about the littering problem associated with disposables.

Sources from the Scottish government say that legislation to govern access to disposable vapes will fulfil the need to both reduce vaping among young people and simultaneously tackle the potential environmental impact the devices may have.

Disposable vapes are cheap and quick to manufacture. They are only designed to last for 600 puffs here in the UK, so don’t last longer than that 2ml limit. For the whole five- seven day shelf life of the product, it is then disposed of, releasing that plastic and the lithium from the battery back into the environment.

Scotland is a land filled with lovely minerals, but lithium is not one of them. The excess tobacco within the discarded vapes can also get into the water supply. The vapes are more expensive to recycle than they are to make, so it is understandable that this stance should stick.

The Prime Minister has also proposed similar legislation for England and Wales, set to come into play in the coming years.

As one of England’s favourite vape shop and as a responsible supplier of disposable vapes in the UK, Vape Direct are urging consumers to make a switch to reusable devices. They cost less long-term and last longer, reducing the amount of plastic waste going into the environment. They will also give you a better vaping experience that you can tailor to your own needs.

You can browse our range of rechargeable vape devices in our online store. Choose from a pod kit or a refillable vape kit, or upgrade to a mod vape device if you have the experience. You will even find some of the best quality vape juices on the market within our walls.