The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
(DAERA) is reminding retailers, producers and members of the
public that as of today (1 June 2025), single-use vapes are
banned in Northern Ireland.
The ban has also come into force across England, Scotland
and Wales.
It is estimated that as many as five million single-use vapes are
simply thrown in bins or littered every week across the UK,
rather than being recycled.
The new restriction aims to reduce the number of vapes going into
landfill or discarded as litter, where they can release harmful
substances into the environment and endanger wildlife. It will
also stop valuable resources such as cobalt, copper and lithium
being used in single use devices.
DAERA Minister said: “Single use vape
waste can have a significant negative impact on our
environment and biodiversity and I welcome this ban which will
benefit our environment as well as our general health and
well-being.
“My Department as well as counterparts in the UK
Government, Scotland and Wales have worked together to introduce
this ban concurrently, to provide a consistent approach across
the UK for businesses as well as customers.
“If you do use vapes, I would encourage you to now
make it a habit not to discard the devices and dispose of any
broken or expired vapes responsibly by taking them to your local
shop.”
Minister Muir added: “Retailers must be aware of their
legal responsibilities in disposing of any old stock and should
offer a waste vape bin in-store for customers to recycle any
remaining disposable vapes.”
Businesses were given six months to prepare for the change by
selling any existing stock of single-use vapes. Retailers must
now be able to demonstrate during any inspection that an average
user can reuse a device by refilling and recharging.
Notes to editors:
- The legislation provides for criminal sanctions for failure
to comply with the regulation, with a maximum penalty, on
indictment, of up to two years imprisonment and a fine.
- The response to the UK wide consultation on ‘Creating a
Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping' is located
at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response#:~:text=The
large majority of responses,how best to do this
- The ban follows strong support from the Northern Ireland
public in response to the UK wide consultation on ‘Creating a
Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping'. 90.4% of
individual respondents from Northern Ireland agreed there should
be restrictions on the sale and supply of single use vapes and
84.9% agreed that restrictions should take the form of a ban on
their sale and supply.”
- UK-wide guidance on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) for businesses is available on DAERA's website
- https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/topics/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee
