Single-Use Vape Ban – A Cleaner, Healthier Future for Dorset
As of 1 June 2025, the UK government has officially banned the sale and supply of single-use vapes across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This landmark move is part of the wider Tobacco and Vapes Bill and aims to tackle two major issues: the surge in youth vaping and the environmental damage caused by disposable vape waste.
Single-use vapes, often brightly coloured and marketed with sweet flavours, have contributed to a rise in nicotine addiction among young people and have become a common source of litter in our parks, beaches, and streets. These devices are difficult to recycle, contain hazardous materials like lithium and plastics, and pose fire risks when improperly disposed of.
The ban encourages a shift toward reusable and refillable alternatives, helping to reduce waste and protect wildlife and ecosystems. Businesses are now prohibited from selling these products, with penalties including fines and potential jail time for non-compliance.
At Litter Free Dorset, we welcome this change as a positive step toward cleaner communities and healthier futures. Let’s work together to support sustainable choices and keep Dorset litter-free.
If you still have single use vapes in your possession, please use this information to continue disposing of your vapes in a responsible way.
Vape haul from Weymouth Beach
The market for disposable vapes has grown immensely in the last year. The product’s rapid growth in popularity on top of the lack of information and advice on disposal has led to thousands of single use vapes being littered and tonnes of valuable resources being wasted.
Litter Free Dorset want to make consumers aware of the correct disposal advice, to help reduce the environmental impacts of this product.
1. Take your disposable vapes to your local household waste and recycling centre
2. Check out these recycling schemes available at local shops and supermarkets
Click the links below for more information on retailer takeback schemes
3. Please #ChooseToReuse wherever you can, by using a reusable vape instead of a single-use one. They will also save you money over time!
Single use vapes contain harmful toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and heavy metals that can leach into our environment when littered.
These chemicals cause harm to wildlife and can pollute our rivers and sea.
Each vape contains a lithium ion battery. Lithium is a finite resource and the mining process is destructive to the environment.
Please recycle your vapes to help reduce the impacts of lithium extraction.
Manufacture of the vapes sold in the UK leads to nearly 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
That’s the same amount of carbon dioxide released by roughly 375,000 people in the UK yearly.
Many consumers are unaware of how they should dispose of their used vapes, in fact, 1.3 million end up in landfill or incineration each week. Putting vapes into the wrong bin is a fire risk and also wastes valuable resources.
By displaying our poster your business can help make consumers aware that they can recycle their vapes.
A big thank you to all our local stores (listed below) who have agreed to display the vape poster.
Has your store displayed a poster and want to be added to the list. Email Litter Free Dorset to let us know.
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