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Vapes

Single-use vape ban

From 1 June 2025 it will be illegal to sell single-use (disposable) vapes under The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024.

Disposable vapes waste valuable resources and are often discarded improperly, releasing harmful substances into the environment and posing fire hazards if they end up in landfills.

The ban is specific to single-use, disposable vapes and will not affect other types of vaping devices.

An example of a reusable vape is a device that has a:

  • chamber, pod or tank you can refill using e-liquid you’ve bought separately
  • rechargeable battery
  • removeable and replaceable coil.

Any single-use vapes you have after 1 June you can continue to use. This law affects the sale and supply of single-use vapes.

Beware of fakes

The ECID number (European Community Identification) is a unique identifier which is assigned to products for regulatory purposes. All e-liquids and vape tanks sold in the UK that contain nicotine must be notified to and registered with the Medicine and Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) and assigned a ECID number. Check if the product you’ve bought is approved for sale in the UK using the MHRA search facility.

Many manufacturers feature a label on the packaging which contains a unique authenticity code or QR code that can be used to check if the device is genuine, on the brand’s website.

The vape packaging should be labelled that the product is rechargeable and refillable, and the coil can be bought separately and easily replaced.

Age-related information

Buying vapes for under 18s

It is illegal to buy nicotine inhaling products for someone who is under 18. If you do, you could be fined up to £2,500.

Challenge 25

If you're over 18 but under 25, you may be asked for ID when you buy vapes.

Acceptable ID includes:

  • a card bearing the PASS hologram
  • a photographic driving license
  • a passport.

If you do not have ID, the retailer may refuse to sell the vape to you.

Report a retailer

You can report counterfeit products, underage sales and sales of single-use vapes (being sold after 1 June 2025) to:

Recycle your vapes

All retailers that sell vapes in the UK must take back your old one to recycle. You can also take used or discarded vapes from personal use to any of our household waste recycling centres and put them in the vape container.