Overview
- Retailers selling disposable vapes after June 1 face a £200 fine for first offences, escalating to unlimited fines or up to two years in prison for repeat violations.
- Businesses selling over £100,000 of electrical goods annually must provide in-store WEEE take-back services or join the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS) to avoid fines of up to £6,000.
- Lithium batteries in disposable vapes pose significant fire risks if improperly discarded, prompting warnings for safe disposal ahead of the ban.
- The ban is part of broader efforts to prevent youth vaping, with single-use vapes linked to a sharp increase in underage nicotine use in recent years.
- Consumers and retailers have been stockpiling disposable vapes, with reports of sales surging by up to 100% in the weeks leading up to the ban.