Disposable vapes officially banned in the UK from today

The popular, colourful vapes are now banned in the UK (Picture: Getty)

Fancy a disposable Elfbar or Lost Mary? You’re out of luck. As of today, disposable vapes are now banned from the shelves of all shops in the UK.

The crackdown on the devices, also known as single-use vapes, makes it illegal for any retailer, ranging from corner shops to supermarkets, to sell them.

The ban applies to both online and in-store sales across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all disposable vapes, whether or not they contain nicotine.

Retailers are still allowed to sell reusable vapes. The single-use vape ban follows the soaring use of them in schools and a flood of plastic rubbish from the discarding of the devices.

Disposable vapes are non-refillable and unable to be recharged, and are typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled.

Even when they are recycled, they need to be taken apart by hand, while their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment.

Colourful displays in shops could disappear very soon (Picture: Shutterstock)

Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a fine of £200 in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending.

The Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found the number of vapers in Great Britain who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said usage among young vapers remained too high, and the ban would ‘put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets’.

Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: ‘For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today. The Government calls time on these nasty devices.’

Ash deputy chief executive Caroline Cerny said: ‘It’s promising to see that many people switched away from disposable vapes to re-usable products well ahead of the ban.

‘This is particularly marked among young people, who were more likely to use disposable products due to their attractiveness, affordability, and heavy marketing.

‘If behaviour does not change then further regulations will be possible following the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.’

Reusable vapes will still be available to buy (Picture: Getty)

Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman added: ‘We strongly support robust enforcement activity, starting with the businesses that are already openly flouting the rules by selling illicit products and who will continue to sell disposable vapes once they’re outlawed.’

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) said its members had moved quickly to bring new fully compliant products to market well ahead of the June 1 deadline, but warned of ‘serious unintended consequences’.

‘Vaping was invented to help adult smokers quit and disposable products became the most successful vape products to do so because they are simple to use and most closely replicate the sensation of smoking,’ UKVIA director general John Dunne said.

‘We are concerned that this ban will encourage former smokers who have already transitioned from cigarettes – which kill 220 people every day in the UK – to return to combustible tobacco or opt for unregulated vapes.

‘We also have clear evidence, from countries including the USA and Australia, showing that black market, counterfeit and illicit vape sales spiked when vape bans and restrictions are introduced.’

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