In this article...
- An analysis of the real-world impact of the UK’s disposable vape ban one month on.
- Evidence suggests the ban is working, with a massive reduction in vape litter and sales data proving vapers are switching to reusable options.
- A look at the challenges, including retailer unpreparedness and the initial efforts to tackle the inevitable black market.
My time writing about the vaping industry has taught me one thing: I’m never far from another misleading media headline. I wrote a piece last September on this very topic, taking a scalpel to the scaremongering reports that defined much of 2024.
It was a tiresome exercise. So, it was with a predictable sense of resignation that I watched the whole circus start up again over the impending disposable vape ban.
The Daily Mail was once again front and centre, publishing dire warnings that new rechargeable vapes would simply “bypass the law.” A roster of so-called experts was rolled out to prophesise that I, and millions of other vapers, were too set in our ways to adapt and would simply treat the new kits as disposables[i].
Well, the ban has been in place for over a month. So, here I go again. I'm going to look at the facts and see how those dire predictions held up in the real world.
Less Vape Litter After the Ban
For a dose of reality from the streets, my first port of call is Mike Scotland from Aberdeen[ii]. An active litter picker since 2019, he’s seen a dramatic drop in the quantity of disposables he finds. Before the ban, he noted that every 7-8 pieces of litter he picked up was a disposable vape, quoting, "So you're looking at a good couple of hundred disposable vapes in a litter pick."
And now? Mike says it’s in the region of 20 per pick. "Litter is always going to be an issue, but in terms of disposable vapes, there has been a massive reduction,” he states. “I imagine it has probably been the same right across Scotland."
Effectively, Mike has seen a more than 5-fold decrease on the ground. This isn’t just a feeling; our own data shows sales for some replacement pods have seen a 4-fold increase against the devices themselves. The signs aren’t just ‘pointing towards’ vapers shifting to sustainable methods; they’re shining a spotlight on it.
While we’re on the subject of pioneering vape environmentalists, I'm still waiting to see any new data from the campaigners who spent years calling for the ban. Unsurprisingly, there’s been virtual silence on the positive impact it's having. One would assume a preliminary victory lap would be right up their street, but perhaps the success of the solution was never as interesting as the problem itself.
So, Is the Disposable Ban Working?
Of course, not everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), the voice for many local shops, has claimed the ban is having a “big impact” on their members[iii].
"The feedback that we’ve had from retailers so far is that the pods are really difficult to get hold of,” they claim, “so the refillable devices that they’re selling are being effectively turned into disposables because they can’t find a way to use them more than once."
Their feedback speaks volumes, not about the ban’s failure, but about a staggering lack of preparation. While some retailers were apparently caught on the back foot by one of the most widely publicised regulatory changes in the industry’s history, we began this journey in early March, three months prior to the ban. We saw the writing on the wall and, call us old-fashioned, decided to prepare. We stocked up on reusable devices from the likes of Elfbar 600, Lost Mary BM600, and SKE 600 Pro, plus a large range of flavoured pre-filled pods.
Data Suggests Vapers Are Reusing Vapes
Some retailers were apparently unprepared for the change. However, our own data shows a rapid shift toward reusable products. We anticipated the ban and clearly communicated the alternatives. As a result, our sales data from June gives a clear picture of how vapers behaved.
The results obliterate the narrative of failure. For one of our most popular reusable devices, Lost Mary BM600, sales through our online store show we sold eleven packs of vape pods for every single kit that went out the door[iv].
Let that sink in. A sales ratio of 11:1.
What does this mean? It means the very same customers are returning again and again, not to buy a new device, but to reuse the one they already have. It is definitive proof that vapers are actively embracing the new systems like the Elf Bar 600, directly refuting the flimsy excuses from lobbyists that reusables are just being treated as disposables.
This isn’t magic; it’s just basic retail. The lack of communication from other retailers is a self-inflicted wound. Waiting until the well was dry to tell people about bottled water was never a winning strategy. Ensuring vapers have what they need to stay smoke-free shouldn’t be a novel mission; it’s the foundation of the business.
Has the Disposable Vape Ban Fuelled the Black Market?
Let’s be clear: no one with a shred of realism expected the illicit market to disappear on day one. The shift of some trade from high-street shelves to back-alley sellers was an unavoidable consequence of the ban. Whether the black-market flourishes or, as I hope, is eventually stamped out, is a battle that will be fought over months and years, not weeks.
What we can judge are the initial efforts to combat it, and the early signs from enforcement are encouraging. The promised crackdown isn’t just talk. We’re already seeing a welcome increase in fines and confiscations[v]. Just last month, the Mars Mini Market in Leamington Spa was served a full closure order for selling illicit products[vi]. In Altrincham, Trafford Council is actively gathering evidence against rogue sellers, warning of unlimited fines[vii].
While the war on illegal vapes is a marathon, not a sprint, it’s reassuring to see the authorities are off the starting blocks. This is a crucial first step in a long fight.
References
[i] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13999309/rechargable-vapes-bypass-government-crackdown.html
[ii] https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/6796302/disposable-vape-ban-aberdeen-litter/
[iii] https://www.acs.org.uk/acsblog/one-month-disposable-vape-ban-wo rking
[iv] Totally Wicked Disposable Alternatives Sales Data: June 1st - June 30th
[v] https://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/more-than-1000-disposable-vapes-seized-from-shops-in-london-borough-since-ban-07-07-2025/
[vi] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2j6x0pjxxo
[vii] https://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/council-issues-strong-warning-to-retailers-who-continue-to-sell-disposable-vapes-01-07-2025/
