As of June 2025, the sale and supply of disposable vapes is now officially banned in the UK, which means that retailers are no longer legally allowed to sell single-use vapes.
The rules apply across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and cover both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free disposable vapes. This has come into place as ministers want to safeguard young people from getting hooked on nicotine at an early age, despite the legal age for purchase being set at 18.
The UK government is also doubling down on how we dispose of the lithium batteries inside disposable vapes, as they end up in landfills, damaging the environment, increasing microplastics, and contributing to bin fires across the country.
However, reusable and refillable vape kits are still available, as long as they meet UK regulations. And that’s where things can get a little confusing. What exactly counts as disposable? And can you still use an old disposable you bought before the ban?
Here’s where the UK disposable vape ban stands in 2026 and what it means for vapers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Disposable or single-use vapes have been banned from sale and supply throughout the UK since 1 June 2025.
The ban includes nicotine-free disposables as well as those containing nicotine.
Reusable vape kits are still legal, but they must meet specific requirements around recharging, refilling, and replacing components.
Simply adding a charging port doesn’t automatically make a vape legal.
You can continue using a disposable vape you already owned before the ban, but you’re no longer legally able to buy a new one from a UK business.
Separate changes are coming to the UK vape market, including the Vaping Products Duty from 1 October 2026.
WHEN WERE DISPOSABLE VAPES BANNED IN THE UK?
The UK disposable vape ban came into force on 1 June 2025.
Since that date, businesses have been prohibited from selling or supplying single-use vapes, offering them for sale, or keeping stock that they intend to sell or supply, which covers both physical shops and online vape retailers.
WHAT COUNTS AS A DISPOSABLE VAPE UNDER THE BAN?
Disposable vapes are vape products that are designed for single use and to be disposed of afterwards.
A vape is considered single-use if its battery can’t be recharged or the device can’t be refilled and used again once the first batch of e-liquid has run out. Therefore, reusable vapes are only qualified if they have a rechargeable battery and a refillable pod or tank.
If it contains a coil, that coil must also be removable and replaceable, either on its own or as part of a replacement pod or cartridge. Replacement parts also need to be separately available to buy.
WHAT'S BANNED AND WHAT'S STILL LEGAL?
Traditional disposable vapes that are intended to be thrown away once the liquid or battery runs out can no longer legally be sold in the UK.
The same applies to a vape that can be charged but can't subsequently be refilled or used with a replacement pod.
Reusable pod systems and refillable vape kits can still be sold, as long as they have a maximum 2 ml tank capacity, a maximum 10 ml container size for nicotine-containing refill e-liquid, and a maximum nicotine concentration of 20mg/ml.
They must also meet the requirements around packaging, ingredients, warnings, and notification to the MHRA.
ARE BIG PUFF VAPES BANNED IN THE UK?
While ‘big puff’ is the marketing term for higher-capacity vapes, the number of puffs actually doesn’t tell us whether they fall under disposable or reusable vapes.
Some high-capacity vapes use rechargeable batteries alongside refillable or replaceable pods, which means they may satisfy the government's definition of a reusable vape.
However, the complete product still needs to comply with the wider regulations applying to vaping products, such as whether the battery is rechargeable, whether the e-liquid can be refilled through a compliant refill or replacement-pod system, and whether components such as coils can be replaced.
CAN YOU STILL USE DISPOSABLE VAPES YOU BOUGHT BEFORE THE BAN?
The legislation is aimed at the sale and supply of disposable vapes by businesses and organisations, so if you happen to have a spare disposable vape lying around, there’s no offence for using it now that they’re banned.
Once you're finished with it, though, don't put it into your normal rubbish or household recycling.
Therefore, it comes down to whether the vape product is designed to be used more than once.
Since vapes are classed as electrical items under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations, they need to be collected for appropriate recycling, and vape retailers have take-back responsibilities for used devices and components.
Also, they can’t be recycled through normal household recycling, according to The Office for Product Safety and Standards, as their batteries can create a fire risk.
WHO HAS CALLED TO BAN DISPOSABLE VAPES?
The UK's disposable vape ban didn't appear overnight.
Before single-use vapes were officially banned from sale and supply on 1 June 2025, councils, children's health organisations, and environmental campaigners had all called for stronger action over concerns about waste, fire risks and youth vaping.
COUNCILS
The Local Government Association called for the sale and manufacture of disposable vapes to be banned, highlighting the amount of waste they created and the risks their lithium batteries posed to bin lorries and recycling facilities.
If crushed by bin lorries, the battery’s temperature increases and can ignite. Batteries discarded incorrectly can present an additional fire risk in bins, refuse vehicles, and waste facilities.
Many individual councils across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also backed calls for restrictions.
PAEDIATRICIANS
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health called for an outright ban on disposable e-cigarettes in June 2023, citing their popularity among children and young people as well as their environmental impact.
According to Action on Smoking and Health, 6% of 11–17-year-olds in Great Britain currently vape in 2026, while the rate rises to 13% among 16–17-year-olds. This is despite the fact the legal age for purchasing vapes is 18!
PUBLIC WASTE CAMPAIGNERS
Material Focus, a not-for-profit organisation, revealed that in 2022, 1.3 million single-use vapes where discarded weekly. As one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the UK, disposable vapes add to the 155,000 tonnes of electrical waste thrown away annually.
A year before the ban took effect, government figures estimated that around 8.2 million vapes were being thrown away or littered every week in the UK — roughly 13 every second.
Now, as of 2026, after the ban has been put in place, Material Focus's newer research says it’s dropped to 6.3 million vapes and pods thrown away each week, compared with 8.2 million in 2024, a 23% reduction.
That's why environmental organisations up and down the country campaigned against dangerous waste removal and supported the ban of disposable vapes.
WHAT OTHER UK VAPE LAW CHANGES ARE HAPPENING IN 2026?
Another major change is just around the corner.
The government is introducing a Vaping Products Duty from 1 October 2026. It will be charged at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10 ml of vaping liquid, regardless of nicotine strength.
HMRC gives the example of a 2 ml quantity of vape liquid attracting 44p of duty, based on a rate of 22p per ml. The duty applies to vaping liquids, including qualifying nicotine-free liquids, and is separate from the environmental legislation that banned disposable vapes.
WHAT ABOUT PACKAGING AND VAPE FLAVOURS?
There are no current blanket bans on vape packaging and flavours in the UK.
However, separate proposals could change the way vape flavours and vaping products are currently presented. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026 and gives the government wider powers to regulate, market, and present vaping and nicotine products.
As of September 2026, the government is consulting on proposals covering vape packaging, device appearance, shop displays, and flavour descriptions, so they are no longer designed to appeal to children.