Back in January, vape campaigner Laura Young told me that it would be a “huge disappointment” if the Scottish Government chose not to ban disposable vapes.
That was back when we had just learned that the Scottish Government had commissioned an urgent review into the environmental impact of disposable vapes.
Five months on, we are nearing the finish line on the disposable vape campaign that started in Dundee.
We now may be just days away from the announcement of a disposable vape ban.
The review, conducted by Zero Waste Scotland, is now with the Scottish Government. The government said its response would come in June.
It could well lead to a ban, but that is just one possible outcome.
So where did we begin and what could happen next?
The disposable vape ban bid so far…
It was a grim day in January when Laura Young ventured out around Dundee to see how many disposable vapes she could find in an hour.
She found 55 littered on our streets, almost one a minute.
Speaking to The Courier, she said “the dream would be that these things get banned”.
Less than two weeks later, Laura’s actions made waves in the Scottish Parliament.
The then health secretary Humza Yousaf commented on Laura’s work, and said the government would consider a ban.
Before the month was out, the Scottish Government announced that they had commissioned an urgent review into the environmental impact that disposable vapes have.
Now, Laura is hopeful that her “dream” might come to fruition, as she has high hopes that a ban will be announced by the end of this week.
Since Laura began her campaign, 24 council areas across Scotland have backed a ban on these, with Dundee being the first council to pledge support for the ban.
“It is ultimately the government that needs to step in,” Laura told me.
“We could have had a nicotine-free generation, and the Scottish Government chose not to.
“In the same way that we are asking these kids to make better choices, we are also asking the government to do better, and choose to ban disposable vapes.
“I couldn’t be happier with the progress and how things have gone, it is just hard to sit in this waiting period.”
Why should disposable vapes be banned?
There has been plenty coverage on the dangers of disposable vapes – both in environmental and health terms.
Here are some of the issues that have cropped up over the last six months.
In January, we revealed that some staff at both Dundee recycling centres had no clue how to recycle disposable vapes. Vapes, when littered, allow valuable lithium to go to waste.
In April, we reported that disposable vapes have been piercing – and burning through – tyres in Dundee. Disposable vapes are often littered at the side of roads, making this a recurring threat to drivers’ tyres.
At the end of May, Angus Council waste teams had an “unfortunate close call” when an improperly disposed lithium battery burst into flames in one of their vehicles. It was suspected that this could have been caused by a disposable vape, though they can’t say for sure.
And in June, we spoke with teens in Dundee who have been vaping since S1, one of whom said she “can’t live without” vapes.
Also this month, The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warned that vapes or e-cigarettes are “not a risk-free product”.
RCPCH vice president and paediatric respiratory consultant Dr Mike McKean called for a ban on disposable vapes, and said that “youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children”.
And at least five deaths in the UK have reportedly been linked to e-cigarettes or vapes.
ASH Scotland, who aim to reduce the harm by tobacco-related products, have urged the Scottish Government to consider a prescription for e-cigarettes.
This is the case in Australia, where customers need a prescription to access vapes that contain nicotine.
What does the vape industry think about a ban?
Even the UK’s biggest vape retailer wants to see disposable vapes banned.
VPZ director Doug Mutter said: “We don’t actually like disposable vapes as a product, which a lot of people are surprised to hear.
“I would support a ban on disposable vapes.”
But Doug warned that it is important to remember that vapes are intended as a smoking cessation tool.
A ban on all vapes would be “disastrous”, he says.
“Vapes being banned completely would be the worst public health disaster that we could ever see.
“We know what cigarettes do, we know they kill two out of three people that smoke.
“There’s problems with youth access to vapes, but that can be tackled. There’s problems with illegal products, but that can be tackled.
“Single-use products can be tackled and eradicated, but do not pigeon-hole the entire industry that has the potential to transform public health.”
What are Scottish Government ministers saying about the ban?
A Scottish Government spokesperson said they are “considering a range of options, including a potential ban on single-use vapes.”
Other options include “increasing access to responsible disposal options or improved product design”.
Watch this space. We may have a solution by the end of the week.
