An awful Lot has been going on in the world of vaping regarding the topic of disposables and for many various reasons with the main reason being the appeal that they have on the younger generation and how it has been way too easy for these youths to have been able to acquire them from shelves. All of these have as a matter of fact been highly avoidable with the main avoidance in my personal opinion to take these disposables away from shelving units, And placed behind gantry doors with the rest of the tobacco products or at the very least behind the till.
All of these avoidable measures aside though, It was announced on the 28th January 2024, that our government plans to fully ban the sale of Disposables. Of course it goes without saying that we completely agree that children should not be able to access vaping with having our own strict policies on sales ourselves, But can we honestly say that banning disposables is the way to go about it? Could certain manufacturers have also done more themselves to avoid this and appeal less to the younger generation? All these questions will remain unanswered now as the clock is indeed ticking but let's take a deeper dive into the situation as a whole.
Is it still legal to buy disposables right now?
As it stands, Although all headlines seem to veer towards making it believed that this is an instantaneous change, Until anything is fully set in stone with either a new bill or the legislation is passed through itself, It is still completely legal to purchase disposables.
Even when everything does eventually pass through all the relevant hurdles to become the new law, It is highly likely as when TPD laws and legislations were passed through that retailers and online retailers alike will have a grace period in order to sell their current stock of these products.
Is there a date in place for when this is happening?
As of yet it is unknown as to when the penultimate date or year will be regarding the ban with some stating 2025 and others as with myself not really having much understanding on any timescale at all. To speed up the process though, The government could adjust and amend existing legislations but equally with how large scale this operation could well be, A whole new bill could be put into place.
While the uncertainty continues we are closely monitoring progress on the ban of disposables and the effects it will have across the industry and update you all in due course.
What is the reason behind the ban of disposables?
There is of course the matter mentioned above with the rather sudden rise of youth vaping being ONE of the main reasons behind this ban coming into effect and meetings within the government happening at such haste, But there is of course the matter of the impact disposables have on our environment as a whole. The astonishing figures show that 1.3 million disposables are thrown away every single week, Which accumulates to a number that could completely cover 22 football pitches!
The environmental impacts from single use disposables cannot be ignored but of course there have been many ways manufacturers could have avoided such waste by making all disposables easier to recycle without adding to landfill and letting harmful chemicals or products fall into our environment that simply are not recyclable or are simply a waste of highly valuable resources. Where there are a select few manufacturers that have indeed made their disposables easier to recycle by being easier to dismantle as well as other companies such as RECOVER who specifically recycle disposable e cigarettes, It goes without saying that it has unfortunately been too little too late and should have potentially been sourced or researched at the beginning of these products coming to light. It is however always encouraged regardless of whether its a disposable or not, That we as vapers take the necessary precautions to make sure that our vaping products are recycled using the correct and official measures to eliminate any further environmental impacts.
Furthermore, it is not helped that there are still a wide variety of illicit disposable vape sales going on behind trading standard’s backs, And while many have been seized and destroyed, It hasn't put a stop to them being in circulation. There have been a number of different budget cuts within trading standards that have led to things perhaps not being able to be cracked down on quite so easily and regardless of the £30m funding the government is funding to stop many movements including these illegal sales, Will it be enough? We are unsure of this ourselves but only time will tell.
What happens now?
As stated above we will be closely monitoring the goings on around this ban and what it means for disposables and vaping alike, But rest assured should you need any advice on how to give up smoking, We are here to help. Not only do we have many easy to use products readily available for you to utilise in your journey, We have a dedicated and knowledgeable team who are ready to guide you in the right direction.
We also have a handy blog on the best starter kits to give up smoking that we will continue to keep up to date with the most user friendly products to use. If you wish to contact us for more information regarding any advice on what you should go for, Please contact us at info@ecigone.co.uk and we will do all we can to get you where you want to be.
