Disposable Vapes To Be Banned June 2025
On the 24th of October 2024, legislation was laid in parliament to ban disposable vapes as of the 1st of June 2025.
After this date it will be illegal to stock and sell disposable vape devices in England. While this bill still technically requires parliamentary approval, they will likely disappear from stores next summer and this approval is largely a foregone conclusion.
Alongside England, disposables will also be banned in Scotland and Wales from June 1st. Northern Ireland is set for their ban to come into effect on April 1st, as was Scotland – but Scotland have now pushed back their ban until April in order to match up with England and Wales.
Originally this new bill was supposed to be made law on April 1st 2025, this postponement has given vapers two extra months to find an alternative to single-use vapes. This legislation introduction was confirmed by Circular Economy Minister, Mary Creagh who stated that:
Single-use vapes are extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities.
That is why we are banning single use vapes as we end this nation’s throwaway culture.
This is the first step on the road to a circular economy, where we use resources for longer, reduce waste, accelerate the path to net-zero and create thousands of jobs across the country.
Why Are Disposables Being Banned In 2025?
The move to ban disposable vapes is largely down to environmental concerns and the waste associated with single-use devices. However, ministers and special interest groups have also cited concerns about youth vaping as a catalyst for this ban.
Libby Peake, Head of Resources at Green Alliance had this to say:
Disposable vapes are the last thing our children and the planet need, and for too long the market for them has been allowed to grow unchecked. Every single one wastes resources that are critical to a more sustainable economy – like lithium, needed for the batteries that power electric cars.
When they’re littered, the nicotine, plastic and batteries they contain are all extremely harmful. Even when they’re put in a bin, their batteries can catch fire. The government is right to ban these harmful devices - it’s a welcome step in the journey towards an economy where waste is reduced by design.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne, added:
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.
Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.
The government will also introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – the biggest public health intervention in a generation – which will protect young people from becoming hooked on nicotine and pave the way for a smoke-free UK.
But, it’s not just parliament and specialists who are in favour of this ban. On the back of the 2023 vape consultation 69% of respondents supported these proposals. Does this accurately reflect the will of the entire nation? No, it does not. However, all UK residents were given the opportunity to respond and it was as open an invitation as possible
What Counts As A Disposable Vape Under The New Law?
This might seem like a rather obvious question, most vapers are familiar with disposable vapes, however, exactly what’s covered by the law can feel a little vague if you follow the government’s guideline alone.
To put it simply – if you have to throw away the whole vape because one of the consumable parts (like the e-liquid or the coil) has finished, it counts as a disposable. If you can replace some parts and keep using the main device, it won’t be banned.
The government have confirmed that any vape could be considered disposable if it’s:
- Not refillable by an individual user in the normal course of their use
- Not rechargeable
- Not refillable and not rechargeable
- Not able to be fitted with a replacement heating coil which is separately available and replaceable by an individual user in the normal course of their use
Using these guidelines we can see that classic disposable vapes are set to be banned, but also the likes of refillable, rechargeable disposables and certain big puff vapes.
For a vape to escape the ban it will need to be refillable, rechargeable and have a replaceable coil. If a device fails to hit any of these three points it will be illegal after June 1st, 2025.
The first two points are very clear, your vape has to be refillable – either with bottled e-liquid, or with a prefilled pod – and the battery needs to be rechargeable with a charging port existing somewhere on the device. The third point explains that your device needs to be refillable AND rechargeable – it can’t be one or the other.
The fourth point is a little confusing, especially if you’re new to vaping or have only used disposables before. Essentially, you need to be able to replace the coil in your vape (this is the small metal part that heats up the e-liquid).
This isn’t as labour-intensive as it might sound and there are plenty of beginner-friendly vapes that use replaceable coils in some form or another. For example, pods with built-in coils – including prefilled pods – are protected from this law as you “swap the coil” when you replace the pod.
What Can I Vape After The Ban?
While their accessibility and simplicity has understandably made disposables an extremely popular choice, they’re not your only option and there’s still plenty to vape after the ban. There are actually a lot of benefits at moving towards a disposable alternative. Options like vape pens and pod kits are a lot cheaper to run, can be just as simple to use and last a lot longer than regular disposables.
Whichever way you decide to vape, the most important thing is not to start smoking again. Whether it’s a disposable or a refillable device, vapes are 95% less harmful than smoking and are advocated by Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and the NHS as an alternative to cigarettes.
What Should I Do Now?
As this ban is not set to come in until June, 2025 you still have plenty of time. We recommend you find out a bit more about your other vape options and plan how you’re going to switch over to your new device (it’s easier than you might think). If you have any questions, we’re available seven days a week and you can contact us regarding the ban and we’re always happy to offer advice on picking your next vape.
