This week, the first minister announced plans to consult on an outright ban of single-use disposable vapes in Scotland. This is a fantastic win for campaigners across the country who have been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the issue of littered vapes.
Leading the charge has been Laura Young, also known as the “Vape Crusader” among Scottish press and politicians. At the Marine Conservation Society, we’ve been supporting Laura, who is a member of our Youth Ocean Network, in her campaign to ban disposable vapes.
So many of our volunteers are finding disposable vapes on litter picks both inland and at the beach, which sadly pose a risk to the marine environment and the life within it. One of our Youth Ocean Network members, Elliott Welch, was so concerned by what he was seeing that he became a policy volunteer and helped to write a joint parliamentary briefing calling for a ban and other policy measures to stop disposable vapes entering the environment.
Data from non-profit organisation Material Focus highlights the extent of the single-use vape problem in the United Kingdom. With 14 million single-use vapes sold each month in the UK, many are ending up littered on our streets where they pollute the environment, making their way into rivers and, eventually, the ocean.
We must move away from single-use products towards a circular economy, one in which refilling and reusing is the norm, rather than throwing away and polluting our environment.
‘Disposable vapes encourage a throwaway culture’
Unfortunately, recycling disposable vapes is also tricky, as they contain a variety of materials, including plastic, copper, lithium, and many more. Since different materials are recycled separately, vapes can’t just be put into one bin. When the materials end up in the wrong recycling bins, they contaminate the contents, meaning none of it can be recycled.
Discarded vapes are finding their way into our seas, through drains and rivers, or littered straight onto the beach. They break down into plastics and chemicals, posing a risk to wildlife. If you use vapes, the best thing you can do for the environment is to switch to a reusable alternative.
‘It’s time to see vapes as the nuisance they are and get them banned’
As Laura Young told us earlier this year: “Disposable vapes encourage a throwaway culture and bring more single-use plastics into our economy. It’s time to see them as the nuisance they are and get them banned; for environmental protection, public health, a circular economy, and net zero.”
The Scottish Government must bring forward the consultation quickly so a swift decision can be made to ban disposable vapes for good.
Catherine Gemmell is Scotland conservation officer at the Marine Conservation Society
