Northern Ireland is set to ban the sale and supply of single use
vapes by April 2025, in a bid to stop five million single use
vapes being thrown away or littered every week across the UK.
Environment Minister MLA has announced his
intention to prohibit the sale and supply of single use vapes in
Northern Ireland, in parallel with the rest of the UK.
The move recognises the strong support from the Northern Ireland
public for a ban on single use vapes in response to the UK wide
consultation on ‘Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling
Youth Vaping'.
Speaking of the announcement, Minister Muir said: “I have
listened to concerns over the environmental impact of single use
vapes and I'm delighted to announce that my Department is taking
action to progress a ban on the sale and supply of single use
vapes in Northern Ireland.
“The environmental damage created by the alarming rise in
the littering and incorrect disposal of used vapes is a key
concern. It's estimated that as many as five million single use
vapes are simply thrown away in residual bins or littered every
week across the UK, rather than being recycled. Single use
vape waste introduces plastic, nicotine salts, metals and
lithium-ion batteries into the environment and can have a
devastating impact on our environment and biodiversity.”
A single use vapes working group has been formed between Northern
Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Under current plans, each
nation will progress its own legislation and have agreed to
work towards a joint coming into force date of 1 April 2025.
The Minister concluded: “Whilst timelines are extremely
ambitious, my department is working at pace to progress this
piece of work. I also welcome the collaborative engagement
between Government officials across the UK to address single use
vape issues. Alignment of approaches will deliver shared health
and environmental benefits and will help provide clarity for
businesses which are currently selling single use vaping
products.”
Notes to editors:
- More info on the response to the UK wide consultation on
‘Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping' can
be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response
- 90.4% of individual respondents from Northern Ireland agreed
there should be restrictions on the sale and supply of single use
vapes and 84.9% agreed that restrictions should take the form of
a ban on their sale and supply.
