A number of organisations have welcomed the ban on the sale of single-use vapes, which will come into force in Scotland on June 1.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, the Marine Conservation Society and ASH Scotland, alongside environmental scientist and campaigner Laura Young, first liaised with Scottish ministers to call for a ban in 2022 after highlighting how vapes ‘undermine the principles of a circular economy, cause harm to Scotland’s environment and damage people’s health’.
Last year, it was estimated that almost 5 million single-use vapes were littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK.
Data collected by Keep Scotland Beautiful highlighted that single-use vapes were the fastest growing litter type in 2024/25. Source to Sea litter surveys carried out by Marine Conservation Society volunteers in streets, parks and beaches revealed an increase in prevalence of vapes from being recorded on 46% of surveys in Scotland in 2023 to 85% in 2024.
Barry Fisher, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said, “We first became aware of the impact single-use vapes were having on our environment back in 2022 when members of the public and our volunteers were noticing them more often and asked what could be done. I’m proud of the effort we have made, alongside our partners, to see this product banned in Scotland – it shows what true collaboration can achieve.”
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, added, “We celebrate the ban of cheap recreational disposable e-cigarettes, which are the starter vaping product for most youngsters who vape, as a vital first step towards halting the alarming upsurge of children vaping in Scotland during the last few years.”
Catherine Gemmell, policy and advocacy manager at the Marine Conservation Society, commented, “This is a great step in removing single-use products from the market. We know bans and charges like this work, having seen a decrease in things like single-use plastic bags in our litter surveys.”
Laura Young, environmental scientist and campaigner, said, “This ban is a landmark moment in the fight against wasteful, polluting products that never should have become mainstream in the first place. Single-use vapes are a symptom of our throwaway, convenience-driven culture, producing devices which are harmful to the environment and hazardous to our health.”
