UK government is set to 'ban disposable vapes' to prevent children becoming addicted
The UK government is reportedly on the cusp of banning disposable vapes.
While the alternative smoking device has been praised as a means of getting people to stop using cigarettes, they have exploded in popularity.
Some people who weren't even addicted to cigarettes have taken up vaping and there are concerns over what the long term effects of the devices will be.
There are also worries about children and teenagers taking up vaping because it's a massive fad at the moment.
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However, the UK government is expected to announce measures next week that will outlaw them.
A senior Whitehall insider told The Telegraph: “Disposable vapes are almost entirely aimed at kids and they are environmentally damaging.
"There is a wide consensus emerging on the need to act.”
There aren't any details on how the ban would work or how long it will take for it to be properly implemented.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told LADbible: "We are concerned about the rise in youth vaping and the environmental impacts of disposable vapes.
“That is why we launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products – and explore where the government can go further.
“We will set out our response in due course.”
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak admitted that he is worried about the proliferation of vapes amongst children.
“I have two young girls. I’m also worried about that," he told This Morning.
"It looks like they are targeted at kids, which is ridiculous. I don’t want my kids to be seduced by any of these things.”
The Telegraph says the UK government is expected to stop short of replicating Australia, who banned all vaping without a prescription.
While there are concerns for peoples' health, disposable vapes also have environmental impacts.
Not-for-profit organisation Material Focus recently led a call for disposable vapes to be outlawed due to how many were ending up in landfall.
They conducted research that discovered five million were being thrown away every week in the UK.
Read that again.
Five million vapes. Every single week.
That is astounding.
Scott Butler, the executive director for the organisation said: “Single-use vapes are a strong contender for being the most environmentally wasteful, damaging and dangerous consumer product ever made."
He explained that the rate of vape disposal has 'gotten further out of control' since their figures from last year.
Butler added that the cost of collecting and recycling vapes is astronomical.
They predict it costs roughly £200 million, however Scott says vape producers, importers and retailers should be forced to foot the bill.
Stewart Perrie