Disposable vapes are taking a dangerous stance on the health of our youth, the health of our planet and our access to precious raw materials that are vital to our fight against climate change. 

Under the new proposals announced on Tuesday (22 November), the sale of e-cigarettes and related nicotine-inhaling products will be prohibited from self-service vending machines, from temporary or mobile premises and at places or events for children.

On top of this, advertisements for e-cigarettes will be prohibited on public transport, in cinemas and near schools.In a statement on the Government's website, the Department of Health said the proposals will be incorporated into the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill which is currently being drafted and is expected to be finalised and published by year-end.

The legislation will be designed to regulate any product that can be used for the consumption of nicotine-containing vapour or any component of that product.

It already contains measures to ban the sale of nicotine-inhaling products to those under the age of 18 and to introduce a licensing system for the retail sale of tobacco products and nicotine-inhaling products.

Other measures contained in the Bill include:

• Prohibiting the sale of tobacco products and nicotine-inhaling products by people under 18 years of age
• Prohibiting the sale of tobacco products from self-service vending machines, from temporary or mobile units and at events or locations for children
• Introducing minimum suspension periods for retailers convicted of offences
• Introducing fixed penalty notices for offences

"These measures are designed to protect our children and young people from starting to vape," Donnelly said.

However this is not enough. Disposable vapes are harming our environment and digging into natural resources that we need to achieve a successful transition to meet our climate targets. 

According to a recent study, more than half of all vapes are thrown away. According to Material Focus, a non-profit organisation dedicated to recycling e-waste, up to 1.3 million single-use vapes are discarded each week in the UK alone. Young people in the United States throw away five disposable vapes every second, despite the fact that the devices contain reusable lithium-ion batteries. Over the course of a year, this equates to 150 million devices, which contain enough lithium to power approximately 6,000 Teslas.

The lithium batteries - a finite material on which rechargeable technology is based - in these vapes alone amount to 10 tonnes of lithium per year, which is equivalent to the batteries in 1,200 electric vehicles.They are, however, difficult to recycle. Lithium batteries, if damaged when discarded, can cause fires at waste disposal plants and must be disposed of carefully, according to Waste Experts, a certified WEEE recycler.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the Bureau that vapes are being incorrectly discarded in household trash because they "are often branded as 'disposable'". As a result, the entire device, including the battery, is discarded in household trash. Which is increasingly worrying as Lithium is a raw material and demand for lithium is expected to sky rocket in 2030. A worrying concept considering we are literally wasting a precious raw material for candy flavoured vapour.

Lose the Vape.