ARE DISPOSABLE VAPES BEING BANNED IN THE UK?
At the time of writing the government is allegedly strongly considering a ban on disposable vapes. As soon as we get any definitive news we will let our valued customers know exactly what a disposable vape ban will mean for them. In the meantime, we wanted to give you our own Dispergo take on the disposable vapes ban and remind you that we have a Disposable Quit Kit designed specifically to help those who are wanting to switch from disposables to a rechargeable kit.
WHAT WILL THE DISPOSABLE VAPE BAN MEAN TO DISPERGO?
Fortunately disposable vapes have never been part of our core business and we have stocked them primarily to satisfy a specific demand from some of our customer base. Dispergo is dedicated to professional vaping – collaborating with vapers who love the ritual and artisanal creativity behind premium vaping products. For this reason we have always focused more on promoting a vape starter kit over and above cheap disposable vapes.
Should the government decide to go ahead and ban disposable vapes, we hope that this will lead to a better overall regulation of the market with more joined up thinking. Up until recently, the MHRA has been making it more difficult for UK-based manufacturers to produce compliant products. On the one hand this eliminated a proportion of the cowboy element to vaping manufacturers (which we fully support).
These disposables are accessible to teenagers through retailers such as corner shops and supermarkets who display them within easy reach. What is more, disposables are just that – disposable. They cannot be recycled. They are single use plastics with Lithium batteries that go straight into landfill.
ARE ELF BARS BANNED?
Some months ago we wrote about the potential banning of Elf Bar disposables in the UK. They had been found to contain more than twice the legal limit of liquid in them. No legal Elfbar ban was imposed but at that time the first reading of the proposed bill had taken place in parliament, with the second was held the end of March 2023. This date was then been pushed back to the end of November, at the moment the 24th November is still the scheduled date for the 2nd reading of the Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill. If you are reading this after the end of November you can click on the link to see where the government currently is.
In the meantime, in response to the concerns about the nicotine levels, many supermarkets and retails outlets took the independent decision to remove Elf Bars from their shelves. These include Tescos, Sainsburys and Morrisons.
HOW MUCH ARE VAPES AND IS COST AN ISSUE?
The popularity of disposable vapes has primarily been built on their convenience and cost. The concern around disposables is their accessibility by underage children who can afford £5-£6 for a single use vape.
While cigarettes have been stripped of any brand identity and locked away behind blank sliding doors, disposable vapes are sold in every corner shop by retailers who have no understanding of what it is they are really selling.
And while the established vaping market has a higher entry-level price point of about £35 requiring the purchase of specialised vape starter kits – a price point which in itself is inaccessible to most young teenagers, a £5 disposable vape is more than affordable.
PROTECTING THE BRITISH VAPES MARKET
As far as we are concerned, there are two significant benefits as and when the government gets its act together and imposes a total disposable vapes ban.
- It protects the homegrown British vapes market which has some excellent manufacturers (such as Dispergo) which takes as much pride and care over its products as craft beer brewers. When Dispergo first started the vaping industry was a real cottage industry. It was a gentle, tight knit community where everyone knew each other and was pretty much self-regulating. Increased regulations made the market go more commercial, so while many of the original manufacturers started to struggle they also had to compete against the cheap imported disposables.
- It will protect the environment. According to a Guardian newspaper article, five million single use vapes are being thrown away in the UK every week. Straight into landfill. Apparently the lithium used in this amount of disposables is enough to create 5000 electric car batteries!
ARE DISPOSABLE VAPES BANNED YET?
So in response to the question ‘are disposable vapes being banned in the UK?’ The current answer is not yet, and how long it will take will depend on the political will of our current government.
If and when a disposable vape ban does take place, Dispergo will welcome it. We are well placed to continue providing delicious quality vape pod kits that are renewable, reusable and much kinder to the environment to our discerning customer base.
If you’re looking to make the switch to a kit in advance of the ban and you want to know which e-liquid flavour is for you and your vaping needs, check out our questionnaire. This will help give you a flavour recommendation for your new kit based on you and your lifestyle.
We also have a guide to explain other options available for you to make a switch from Disposable vapes.