VAPE users have been warned they could be fined hundreds of pounds when fresh legislation comes into effect.
From June 1, it will be illegal for to sell or supply single-use vapes.
Both online and in store outfits will be affected by the ban and will include all vapes, regardless of whether they contain nicotine.
“The maximum amount those who breach their household waste duty of care could be fined will increase from £400 to £600,”;; the Government website WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) stated.
Fourteen per cent of over-16s puffed onbetween January 2024 and January 2025 — the same percentage as the previous year.
will also halt the scourge of plastic littering after five milliona week were thrown away in 2023 — quadruple the number from 2022.
The move follows mounting fears that more kids are illegally buying disposables, many of which now come in bright packaging with flavours including bubblegum, candy floss and cola.
Ministers also want to stop users trashing thewith the throwaway devices.
More than 40 tonnes of lithium, used in the batteries, was thrown out with disposable vapes in the UK in 2022 — enough to power 5,000.
Scientists believe the ban has recently dented the popularity of single-use vapes.
Study author Dr Sarah Jackson said: “The research cannot tell us whyrates have levelled off.
“But in the past we have seen changes inhabits before a policy change.
“Action is likely still required to reduce high vaping rates.
“But now the situation has stabilised, policymakers may be sensible to avoid stricter options that might deter smokers from using vapes to quit.”;;
The University College London study of 88,611 people in,andbetween 2022 and 2025 also found use of disposable vapes last year tumbled.
It went from 63 to 35 per cent among young adults.
WEEE waste professionals said: “Many people mistakenly believe that vapes can be tossed into their regular bin at home, but they’re actually classed as WEEE, which has strict rules for disposal.
When vapes are disposed of in household bins, this can lead to fires in bin trucks and at waste management sites, posing a huge risk to workers and the public.”;;
