UK’s Leading Vape Shops Support Disposables Ban

The head of one of the leading retailers and manufacturers of vaping products in the United Kingdom says he would support a ban on disposable vapes as long as it did not create a black market.

Doug Mutter, company director of VPZ, said a ban in Australia had led to unsafe products being sold there illegally.

He insists the industry recognizes that the environmental impact of single-use products needs to be addressed.

An urgent review of disposable products was ordered by the Scottish government and is due to be released within days, reports Yahoo! News.

It was commissioned after a campaign by climate activist Laura Young who had been collecting dozens of disposable vapes each day while walking her dog Cooper in Dundee.

The review is likely to quantify the scale of the problem and lay out the options available to ministers.

Disposable vapes are a problem because they contain lithium batteries which should be taken to a recycling facility for disposal.

But millions are either discarded or thrown into bins each year where they can cause a fire at processing facilities.

Refillable vapes are available which are much cheaper to use in the long term and have less of an environmental impact.

VPZ has 150 stores throughout the UK.

Mutter – who is also the director of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) – said disposables have a place for smokers who would like to try vaping but do not want to invest in reusable systems.

He acknowledges the environmental impact of them and their attractiveness to young people who do not already smoke.

“For me, there should be a ban on disposables that we would support if there were proper punishments and policing put in place to enforce the ban and ensure that a black market doesn’t bubble up,” said Mutter.

Enforcement should be funded by a licensing scheme, he said, which retailers would have to be a part of to sell vaping products.