Tag: disposable vape

Major Irish Music Festival Bans Disposable Vapes

Credit: Benny Robo
The Irish music festival Electric Picnic has banned the use of single-use disposable e-cigarettes ahead of the event this weekend.
The music and art festival taking place in Stradbally, County Laois, from September 1 to 3. It issued a statement warning attendees that single-use disposable e-cigarettes will be confiscated if found in their possession as they enter the festival this Friday, according to the Independent.
Taking to social media, the organizers of the festival said the ban was made in order to “protect the land” where the festival is being held.
“Disposable vapes are made of a mixed compound of materials making them very difficult to recycle and hazardous if not placed in the correct waste stream,” the statement said. “Please do not bring single-use disposable vapes as they may be confiscated on entry. They pollute the environment and incorrect disposal of these can be hazardous at waste centers.”
After a two year gap due to the pandemic, Electric Picnic resumed last year with almost 70,000 people who attended the event.
The festival announced on social media that Irish rock band The Script will be performing over the festival weekend, making this their first performance in Ireland following the death of their guitarist Mark Sheehan in April this year.
This year’s sold out event will be headlined by Billie Eilish, The Killers, Niall Horan and Fred Again.
August 28, 2023
Ukraine Imposes Consumption Tax on Disposables

Credit: Tania
News outlets are reporting the Dnipropetrovsk regional branch of the Ukrainian Tax Service issued a reminder that disposable vaping products will soon need to pay a consumption tax.
President Volodimir Zelensky, recently signed Act No. 8287, introducing an electronic excise duty on vaping and other tobacco products, including e-liquids, beginning January 1, 2026.
“The program will make it possible to trace the movement of alcohol, tobacco products, and e-atomized liquids from manufacturer/importer to final consumer. It can also control the completeness and timeliness of the payment of excise taxes on such goods,” an article states. “Does this mean that three years from now Ukraine will have an electronic atomized consumption tax, and will also introduce a traceability system, and that mandatory labelling of alcohol and tobacco products will also be implemented in this country?”
In July this year, Ukraine said that a ban on flavored electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) products other than tobacco will go into effect on July 11.
Additionally, from January 11, 2024, a combination of text and picture warnings will be required on 65 percent of the areas on both sides of the package. The fine for violations is 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnia ($812) and 50,000 Ukrainian hryvnia for each subsequent violation.
July 31, 2023
ANDS Develops 99 Percent Recyclable Vape Device

Fadi Maayta | Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
ANDS has created a disposable vape that is 99.29 percent recyclable, according to Waste Experts, reports UKVIA.
Slix is constructed of an outer casing made of 100 percent recyclable high-grade cardboard with a biodegradable silicone mouthpiece and end piece.
“While the analysis carried out by Waste Experts suggests that our single-use vape is highly recyclable, we will continue to work toward zero waste,” said Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific and medical affairs at ANDS. “We aim to build a high rate of recyclability into all our products by using high-quality recyclable materials and simple construction that allows for highly efficient dismantling. This contributes to a fast, efficient overall recycling process, which reduces waste management costs. This in turn helps to keep product prices competitive, creating a win-win for the environment and adult consumers who value our products.”
“We’re very much on a journey, and by the end of this year, we hope to launch a 100 percent recyclable and recoverable version of Slix, which will reduce the tonnage of waste going to landfill even further,” said Fadi Maayta, president of ANDS. “If these single-use vapes are restricted or banned over environmental fears as is being talked about in some circles—smokers could lose what many believe to be a very convenient, accessible and compelling alternative to conventional cigarettes.”
ANDS is partnering with Waste Experts to create a recycling program.
June 13, 2023
Flonq has ‘World’s First’ Fully Recyclable Vape Device

Vape manufacturer Flonq launched the world’s first fully recyclable vape device – the Flonq Plus-E at the UK Vaper Expo 2023 in Birmingham.
The innovative e-cigarette addresses two major challenges in the vaping industry: preventing minors from accessing devices and reducing environmentally harmful waste, according to media reports.
“We believe it’s crucial not only to make bold statements but also to back them up with actions,” explains Rob Harvey , the company’s sales director. “The Flonq Plus-E is a solution that truly meets the needs of the vaping industry, and we’re excited to share it with everyone”.
The Flonq Plus-E device can be easily disassembled for recycling after use, according to the report. The product’s distinctive design includes a detachable battery located at the bottom of the device and a patented child lock system to prevent unauthorized use by children and young people.
The device has also won a Good Design Award for its aesthetics, with the shape inspired by the Steinway Tower skyscraper in New York.
May 16, 2023
Veolia Launches UK-based Vape Collection Service

Credit: Chepko Danil
Resource management company Veolia has launched a national vape collection service to help provide safe disposal and recycling routes for the three million vapes currently thrown away in the U.K. each week.
Veolia states it can now facilitate the collection and transport of vaping products from retailers to a recycling facility to extract the valuable materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, inside.
The recycling of these items could save more than 10 tons of lithium that could be recycled into new products from the batteries, which would save up to 72 tons of carbon emissions compared to using raw materials, as producing one ton of lithium from ore produces around nine tons of CO2 emissions, according to Scottish Local Retailer.
Collections will be scheduled according to demand and in order to store and transport these materials safely, Veolia will provide retailers with individual containers of vermiculite, a mineral that will minimize fire risks from the lithium-ion batteries contained within the vapes.
“Two vapes are thrown away every second. They might be called disposable, but they can and should be recycled,” said Donald Macphail, Chief Operating Officer – Treatment at Veolia UK, said. “Our new nationwide vape collection service will provide a safe recycling avenue to retailers who provide the mandatory take back schemes for vapes and ensure that we can extract the valuable materials contained within, and mitigate any fire and environmental risks.”
April 27, 2023
U.K. Chancellor Rejects Single-Use Vape Levy

Photo: marcin jucha
U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has rejected calls from health officials to introduce a new levy on single use vapes in the government budget due to be presented on March 15, reports the news outlet I.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been pushing for the new tax to crack down on underage vaping. The proposals are expected to be included in the government’s response to the Khan Review on smoking, but treasury sources told I that the new levy will not be included in the March 15 budget.
“Department of Health officials are keen, but it’s not going to happen,” a source told I.
Anti-smoking activists too have been urging the government to start taxing disposable vapes. “Increasing the tax on single use disposable vapes in the March budget would be easy to do and by making them less affordable could reduce both child vaping and the vast quantities of single use vapes being thrown into landfill,” AHC CEO Deborah Arnott was quoted as saying.
“Adult smokers find vaping useful in helping them quit, and that’s something we support. However, in the light of the recent increase in child vaping, government action is urgently needed to tighten regulation and increase enforcement,” Arnott added.
U.K. ministers are reportedly contemplating a range of measures to discourage underage vaping. Among the plans under consideration are a ban on candy-flavored vaping liquids and a crackdown on colorful marketing that could appeal to youth.
Britain bans sales of vapes to anyone below the age of 18, but national surveys have shown an increasing trend of 11-17 year olds using the devices, with health leaders blaming the rise on the marketing and flavors associated with them.
March 8, 2023
RJ Reynolds Wants Enforcement of Disposables
Credit: Casimiro
RAI Services Company submitted a citizen petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to adopt a new enforcement policy directed at “illegally marketed disposable electronic nicotine delivery system” (ENDS) products.
The petition was filed on Feb. 6 and posted by the FDA to Regulations.gov for public comment on Feb. 8.
RAI Services and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the maker of Vuse e-cigarettes, are owned by BAT. Vuse is the most popular brand in the c-store segment, according to Neilsen data.
“As the Agency well knows, use of ENDS products in the United States has shifted to disposable products. And a new enforcement policy, one that is specifically directed at these disposables that are on the market illegally, is needed to better protect public health,” the petition states.
Reynolds requested that the FDA prioritize enforcement for:

Any flavored disposable ENDS (except for tobacco- or menthol-flavored products);

Any disposable ENDS containing nicotine derived from any source other than tobacco that lacks premarket authorization;

Any disposable ENDS containing nicotine derived from tobacco that was not on the market as of August 8, 2016, or for which the manufacturer either failed to submit an application by September 9, 2020, or submitted a PMTA to FDA by that deadline, but received a negative action that is not being challenged in court;

Any disposable ENDS for which the manufacturer has failed to take (or is failing to take) adequate measures to prevent minors’ access; and

Any disposable ENDS targeted to, or whose marketing is likely to promote use by, minors.
Reynolds does not sell disposable vapes or vaping products in flavors other than tobacco or menthol. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted an administrative stay of an FDA marketing denial order (MDO) for two R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. menthol flavored refill pods.
“Such a policy,” writes Reynolds regarding its desired enforcement priorities, “will close an existing loophole in FDA’s current tobacco enforcement efforts, especially when it comes to youth.”
February 13, 2023
UK Lawmaker to Table Bill to Ban Disposable Vapes

Caroline Johnson
An MP in the United Kingdom is set to introduce a bill into parliament next week that will aim to prohibit the sale of disposable e-cigarettes and vapes.
Caroline Johnson, MP for the Sleaford and North Hykenham constituency which includes Great Gonerby, Barrowby, Marston and Cranwell, wants to introduce this bill after an NHS survey conducted in 2021 and published last year found that nearly one in five (18 percent) of fifteen-year-olds considered themselves e-cigarette users.
Johnson, an NHS children’s doctor and member of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee, is due to highlight the positive impact a potential ban on disposable vapes and e-cigarettes would have on the country as part of her 10-Minute Rule Bill on Wednesday, February 8.
“Reusable e-cigarettes and vapes remain an important aid to quitting smoking, but I fear that their colorful, child-friendly flavored, disposable counterparts are luring non-smokers into a life of addiction, which risks creating a new generation of nicotine addicts,” said Johnson.
“I look forward to presenting my bill to parliament soon and to highlighting the effects disposable e-cigarettes and vapes are having on our nation’s health and natural environment.”
The Scottish government has officially commissioned an “urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes.”
The review, which comes in response to emerging concerns around the negative consequences of disposable vaping devices, will inform potential policy responses, which could include a ban of the products.
February 4, 2023
Scotland Officially Places Disposables Under Review

Credit: ArieStudio
The Scottish government has officially commissioned an “urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes.”
The review, which comes in response to emerging concerns around the negative consequences of disposable vaping devices, will inform potential policy responses, which could include a ban of the products.
The disposable smoking devices have been linked to issues including litter, plastic waste and fire risk, according to Scotland’s government.
Zero Waste Scotland will lead the review, which will consider international experience and action, including any key developments in the European Union.
Other approaches could include increasing access to responsible disposal options, improved product design, or public communications campaigns.
“Any form of littering is an unacceptable, anti-social behavior, that is damaging to the environment and the economy,” Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said. “Single-use items, like disposable vapes, are becoming an all-too-common eyesore in areas where we live, work, and socialize, and can last in our environment for years and years. Tackling our throwaway culture is a priority here at Zero Waste Scotland and we are happy to lead on this important review.”
January 20, 2023
Calls for Scotland to Ban Disposable Vape Devices

A lawmaker in Scotland is calling for a ban on disposable vapes “after Scotland’s streets became a plastic dumping ground.”
Green MSP Gillian Mackay said city parks have become clogged up by disposable plastic vaping products, which experts say are a threat to children’s health and a menace to wildlife and she will urge the Government to introduce a ban on disposable plastic vapes.
Mackay warned the single-use devices were turning up more and more on streets and in beach clean-ups – and claimed they could become “the cotton bud of their time,” according to the Daily Record.
It comes after the Scottish Government last year banned most types of single-use plastics as part of efforts to shift to a “circular economy” with fewer items wasted. But disposable e-cigarettes weren’t affected, and they’ve exploded in popularity since 2021 with a 14-fold increase in their use among vapers over more eco-friendly rechargeable products.
Mackay recently also called for a ban on flavored vaping products and all advertising for vaping products.
Research last year found 1.3 million single-use vapes are being discarded every week in the UK, enough to cover 22 football pitches – an average of two thrown away every second.
Recycling the products is also tricky as inside the plastic are valuable lithium batteries. Campaigners say the number of batteries chucked away would be enough to power 1200 electric cars.
January 19, 2023