Single-use disposable vapes became illegal to sell in the UK on 1 June 2025. The ban covers England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. If you're reading this wondering whether you can still buy disposable vapes, no. The ban covers every sales channel in the country.
I've been running Ecigone, an online vape shop, since 2014, and we cleared our last disposables off the shelves weeks before the deadline. Every legitimate retailer in the country did the same. The ban applies to all sales channels, including online orders and international websites shipping to UK addresses.
This guide covers what actually changed, what you can still buy, and how to deal with any old disposables you've got lying around.
Can You Still Buy Disposable Vapes in the UK
No. It's illegal for any business to sell, supply, or even stock single-use vapes. Trading Standards started enforcement immediately, and the penalties are steep. Unlimited fines in England, up to two years in prison for serious breaches.
If you see a shop still selling them, they're breaking the law. The products on those shelves haven't been through any safety checks and could contain nicotine levels well above the legal 20mg/ml limit. Trading Standards seized 1.19 million illegal vapes in 2023-24 alone, and that was before the ban even kicked in.
You can't buy disposable vapes online either. Any website still listing them is either selling illegal stock or shipping from outside the UK. Both routes land you with unregulated products that could contain anything.
Which Vapes Are Banned and Which Are Legal
The law is straightforward. A vape is only legal in the UK if it meets two conditions. It must be rechargeable, and it must be refillable or use replaceable pods. If it doesn't tick both boxes, it's not legal to sell.
Banned: any single-use vape with a built-in battery and prefilled liquid that can't be recharged or refilled. The classic Elf Bar 600, Lost Mary BM600, Crystal Bar type products are all gone.
Still legal:
- Refillable pod kits where you add your own e-liquid
- Prefilled pod kits with rechargeable batteries and replaceable pods
- Big puff kits that are rechargeable with swappable pods
- Sub-ohm kits, box mods, and any other rechargeable vape
Prefilled pods are NOT being banned. That's been one of the biggest misunderstandings since the announcement. As long as the battery recharges and the pod can be replaced, the kit is completely legal.
Why the UK Banned Disposable Vapes
By 2024, the UK was throwing away 8.2 million disposable vapes every week. Each one contained a lithium battery, plastic casing, and electronic components that could've been reused hundreds of times. Instead they ended up in bins, on pavements, and in waterways. Only 17% of vapers ever managed to recycle a disposable at all.
Youth vaping made it politically unavoidable. One in five children aged 11 to 17 had tried vaping, and disposables accounted for over half of youth vape use by 2022. The bright colours, sweet flavours, and low price point were doing exactly what critics said they'd do.
Both the Conservative and Labour governments backed it, which tells you how strong the consensus was. 69% public support in consultation. The number of vapers using disposables was already dropping before June, falling from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025 as people switched early.
What to Buy Instead of Disposables
Two routes. Both are cheaper than disposables were.
Prefilled pod kits are the closest thing to a disposable. Rechargeable battery, click-in pods, no filling or fuss. When a pod runs out you swap it for a new one. Brands like Elf Bar, Lost Mary, and IVG all make prefilled kits with the same flavours their disposables had. Browse the full range of prefilled kits and refill pods.
Or go refillable and save even more. You buy the kit once, then top up with nic salt e-liquids that cost a fraction of what disposables did. A 10ml bottle lasts roughly the same as five disposables. Most people who make the switch spend around 80% less per year. The flavour selection is also much wider than any prefilled range.
If you're not sure where to start, our switching from disposables guide walks through the full process. There's also a beginner's guide to vaping if you want the basics on how everything works.
How to Recycle Old Disposable Vapes
If you've still got disposables from before the ban, don't throw them in a normal bin. The lithium batteries inside are a fire risk in bin lorries and recycling centres. Hundreds of waste facility fires have been linked to damaged vape batteries.
Three ways to get rid of them safely:
Supermarket battery bins. Most Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Asda stores have battery recycling points near the entrance. Drop your old vapes in there.
Household recycling centres. Look for the WEEE section (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) at your local tip. Vapes go in with other small electronics. Your council's website will list the nearest one, or you can search on the recyclemore.co.uk locator.
Vape shop collection points. Not all shops have them, but it's worth asking. The ones that do usually have a dedicated bin near the counter.
The plastic, copper, and lithium inside vapes are all recoverable. Around 80% of the materials can be recycled when they reach the right facility. The part that can't be recycled is the cotton wick, which gets contaminated by e-liquid.
Can you recycle vape pods from refillable kits too? Yes. Same process. Don't put them in your normal recycling bin at home though. They need to go through WEEE collection because of the metal coil inside.
The Black Market Problem
I'll be blunt about this. Illegal disposables are still out there. Some corner shops never stopped selling them, and dodgy websites still list them. Trading Standards are catching what they can, but seizures only scratch the surface.
These products are dangerous. Testing has found illegal vapes with nicotine levels 50% above the legal limit, and heavy metals including lead at 450% above safe levels. Unknown chemicals with no safety testing whatsoever.
It's not worth it. Legal alternatives cost less, taste better, and won't land you with a product that could contain anything. If a deal on disposables looks too good to be true in 2025, it is.
