Disposable vapes are small, low-cost flavoured e-cigarettes that devices are widely available in shops, online and via social media. They come with a variety of sweet flavours and colours that are child appealing, with some clearly being designed to appeal to children.
Underage Sales
Alarmingly, disposable vapes are becoming increasingly popular amongst secondary school children, despite the law restricting their sales to over 18’s only. It is a criminal offence for devices to be:
- Sold to anyone under 18
- Bought for anyone under 18
Non-Compliant or Counterfeit
Some of the devices on sale:
- Exceed legal nicotine levels (Over 2% or 20 mg)
- Contain too much liquid (over 2 ml)
- Are incorrectly labelled and have no traceability
- May contain banned substances
- Are associated with organised criminal gangs and fund other criminality
- Are easily accessible to under 18’s
- May lead to undesirable contact between buyer and seller
Trading Standards is becoming increasingly concerned about these disposable vapes and their popularity amongst school-aged children who shouldn’t have access to them. Nicotine is highly addictive, and minors should NOT be exposed to it or be experimenting with its use.
Environmental issues
Cardboard packaging, plastic vape wrappers and removable stoppers, batteries and residual liquid are often found strewn as litter. Disposable vapes should be disposed of in dedicated bins in shops or recycling centres. They are then dismantled and recycled. The lithium batteries inside the plastic can sharply increase in temperature if crushed and can become flammable. This means they are a fire hazard when thrown in the general rubbish. There have been a significant number of fires in bin lorries and at recycling centres caused by disposable vapes.