It will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply, offer to sell or supply, or have in their possession for sale or supply all single-use or ‘disposable’ vapes. This applies to sales online and in shops and all vapes, whether or not they contain nicotine.
Single-use vapes are an inefficient use of critical resources and are often discarded as litter or thrown into non-recyclable waste.
Our trading standards team will lead on enforcing the ban in the county, excluding Derby city. They will be able to impose a fine of £200 and seize any single-use vapes they find. Repeated offences may lead to an unlimited fine and a prison sentence up to two years, or both. Offenders may also have to pay costs.
Our Executive Director for Place, Chris Henning, said:
“Disposable vapes are a blight on our environment. We’ve all seen used vapes littering our streets and parks, and even when people put them in the bin that’s still a huge problem as they can be dangerous.”
When single-use vapes are thrown into black bins they often end up in landfill or are incinerated, which means the loss of critical resources. They can also cause fires, risking the safety of waste management workers, firefighters and the public.
Mr Henning added:
“Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but will also reduce the appeal and accessibility of vapes to young people.
“I advise businesses to make sure they are aware of what constitutes a single-use vape, so they can help support this move and avoid breaking the law.”
Find more information about single-use vapes.