Australia is introducing a ban on disposable vapes, something which many are calling upon the UK Government to implement too.
Australia’s Decision
In a recent speech, Health Minister for Australia, Matt Butler, announced:
“vaping is now a very serious public health menace for Australia, particularly impacting our youngest members of the community. We’ve seen stories over the course of High School exam season of High School students having to wear nicotine patches in order to get through a two or three hour exam, such is their level of nicotine addiction”
“from the 1st of January it will be illegal to import any disposable vape. From the 1st of March it will be illegal to import and supply any vape that does not comply with TGA standards- and that is that it be non-disposable, that it be plainly packaged, that it not be flavoured, and have a range of other conditions about nicotine content and the absence of certain chemicals we know to be particularly harmful”
Australia is not the only nation with concerns about disposable vapes, with the EU proposing a ban in 2026 and France rolling out a ban this month.
Marketed at Children
As noted by Butler, one of the main concerns surrounding disposable vapes is their impact on children. It has been noted by many, including the Local Government Association which represents English and Welsh Councils, that more and more children who have never previously smoked are starting to vape. This means that vapes are increasingly becoming an introduction to nicotine addiction, rather than just a means to help people stop smoking.
According to the Local Government Association, councils are especially concerned by the marketing of vapes, which often contain fruity flavours and colourful packaging, both of which could particularly appeal to children. They added:
“Strict new measures to regulate the display and marketing of regular vaping products in the same way as tobacco are needed”
Environmental Concerns
Not only are these vapes harmful to humans, they also have huge negative effects for our environment. Research commissioned by Material Focus and conducted by Opinium found:
- 50% of single-use vapes are thrown away in the UK
- 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away every week in the UK. Per year, this is enough vapes to cover 22 football pitches
- Each of these disposable vapes contains an average of 0.15g of lithium. When we consider that 1.3 million are thrown away every week, this adds up to 10 tonnes of lithium waste every year, which is the equivalent to being able to power 1,200 electric vehicles
- Almost 1/5 of UK adults have bought either a single-use, rechargeable, or rechargeable with single-use chamber vape
Disposable vapes are hugely unsustainable, as they tend to be thrown away rather than properly recycled. These single-use vapes are designed as one singular unit so that batteries cannot be separated from the plastic, meaning that they cannot be recycled without special treatment.
This has caused concern for the RSPCA, who have noted that the materials and substances that make up disposable vapes, including lithium, plastic and nicotine, can all be hazardous to animals.
Overall, it seems that government action needs to be taken surrounding disposable vapes, including stricter marketing and manufacturing regulations, as well as finding a way to make them more widely recyclable.