Retailers be aware: Disposable vapes are banned from 1st June
Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service is advising retailers to act now in advance of the ban on the sale of disposable vapes that comes into force next month.
Retailers should now consider stopping the purchase of new stocks of single use vapes and ensure they sell any existing stocks before 1st June 2025.
From the 1st June, retailers must stop selling or offering for sale single use vapes (whether or not they contain nicotine), remove them from their store (including online stores) and arrange for them to be collected by a registered vape recycling service.
Retailers who fail to follow the law and continue to sell disposable vapes after the ban face having these products seized by Trading Standards and could be fined a fixed penalty of £200. Repeat offenders could also be prosecuted.
Retailers can continue to sell reusable vapes. These must have a battery you can recharge and be refillable with vape liquid, either by filling up the tank or cartridge with e-liquid or inserting new pre-filled pods. Refills (pods or vape liquid refill bottles) should be separately available for users to buy.
If the vape has a coil, it must be one that can be replaced by an average user, either by removing and replacing it or removing and replacing a pod or tank that contains it. The coil (whether part of a replacement pod or tank, or not) should be separately available to buy.
Retailers must be able to demonstrate that an average user can separately buy individual refill items (including pods or e-liquid refill bottles) for the vaping items they stock. An easy way of doing this is by providing these items in your shop or online store.
Warwickshire County Council’s Executive Director for Communities, Mark Ryder, said:
“We’re urging all retailers to take immediate action in preparation for the forthcoming ban on the sale of disposable vapes, effective from 1st June.
“Retailers found in breach of the law risk having products seized and receiving a fixed penalty of £200, with repeat offences potentially leading to prosecution, so compliance is essential to avoid enforcement action.”
Retailers requiring further advice can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. Phone 0808 223 1133 or visit: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/
For more information and guidance about the forthcoming ban, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-vapes-ban
