Businesses will no longer be allowed to sell or provide disposable vapes.
The ban is intended to reduce the environmental damage caused by these devices and also the number of young children who vape.
What are the new rules for vapes?
Ban on disposable vapes
Businesses will no longer be allowed to sell or supply single-use vapes. This includes online or in stores.
Retailers who break the law in England are subject to a minimum fine of PS200 and a maximum prison sentence of up to two years if they commit a repeat offence. The penalties are similar in Scotland and Wales.
Trading Standards can seize all single-use vapes.
Only devices that are considered reusable will be allowed. This means they must be rechargeable and have a coil that can be replaced and refilled.
Possessing a disposable vaporiser will not be illegal after June 1. Retailers are still required to dispose of the vapes, but customers can return them.
Vaping Tax
Vaping products already attract 20% VAT, but unlike tobacco, they are not subject to a separate tax.
A new vaping tax will be implemented on October 1, 2026. The charge will be PS2.20 for 10ml of vaping liquid.
Tobacco duty will also be raised to maintain the financial incentive to encourage cigarette smokers to switch to vaping.
Advertising ban and sponsorship
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently being debated in Parliament, will ban vape sponsorship and advertising.
Vapes, nicotine products and their packaging will be restricted in terms of flavours and displays.
The British Medical Association warned that children are being targeted by colours, branding, and flavours like bubble gum or candy flannel to promote a product which can lead to nicotine dependence.
Illegal Vapes
Vapes that are illegal are also being targeted, as they are readily available and more likely to contain harmful chemicals or drugs.
According to a BBC analysis, Trading Standards officers in England seized more than six million illegal vaping devices between 2022 and 2024.
In order to reduce their environmental impact, the ban on disposable vapes has been introduced.
According to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), in 2023, almost five million vapes for single use will be discarded each week.
Vapes contain circuit boards and lithium-ion batteries. If not properly disposed of, these circuit boards can release toxic substances such as copper and cobalt.
This means that fish and marine mammals may mistakenly ingest toxic chemicals by mistaking vapes for food.
Local Government Association (LGA) also states that single-use vapes “cause fires in bin trucks and are a danger for waste and litter collections”.
The size of disposable vapes and their manufacturing make it difficult to disassemble them.
If recovered, these minerals and lithium could be used in green technologies like electric car batteries or wind turbines.
There is no large-scale vape recycling currently in the UK. Standardising a recycling process is difficult because there are so many types of vapes on the market.
How much vaping is done by children and adults?
According to a survey conducted by the health charity ASH in 2024, around 18% of children aged 11-17 (or 980,000) had tried vaping.
Around 7% (390,000 children) reported that they vape currently, down from 8% (in 2023) but still far above the 4% figure in 2020.
Just over 5% (or 280,000) of 11-17-year-olds said that they smoked currently, and just under 3% (or 150,000) said that they smoked as well as vaped.
In 2023, the number of people who use e-cigarettes or vapes will increase among all age groups above 16. About 5.1 million vapers are expected to be in use.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that 5.9% of those aged 16 or older vape every day, a slight increase from the previous year. Another 3.9% do so occasionally.
The 16-24-year-olds were the group with the highest vape usage rate – almost 16%.
What are the dangers of vaping for children and adults?
Vaping is not as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes contain tobacco, tar, and other cancer-causing chemicals. It is also one of the most preventable causes of disease and death in the UK.
Vaping is not recommended to adult smokers who are trying to quit smoking as part of NHS’s “swap-to-stop” program.
Inhaled vapour contains small amounts of chemicals. This includes nicotine, which is addictive.
The Department of Health and Social Care stated that “Vapes are an effective way to help adult smokers quit smoking – however, we have always made it clear that adults and children who do not smoke should never vape.”
In December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that “alarming” evidence was growing regarding the damage caused by vaping.
In February 2025, the government announced a PS62m project to track 100,000 8-18-year-olds over a decade to better understand risks.
