Charity chief calls for end of single-use vapes

Calls have been made to end the sale of single-use vapes after a supermarket giant announced it would stop selling them in its stores.

Keep Scotland Beautiful, ASH Scotland and the Marine Conservation Society are calling on retailers to ban the products.

Following the Scottish Government’s announcement of a review into the environmental impact of single-use vapes, the coalition of organisations is urging Scottish retailers to follow Waitrose, which announced it would be banning sales of the product in its stores.

Compared to reuseable vapes, which are rechargeable and refillable, disposable vapes come ready to go and only last for around 600 puffs, at which point they become obsolete and require complete replacement.

Consequently, single-use vapes are discarded and purchased repetitively.

When not recycled, the components of single-use vapes end up in Scotland’s environment.

These materials increase plastic pollution and toxic chemical leakage while microplastics have also been found in the stomachs of various animals including seafood for human consumption.

Barry Fisher, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said:“We know that 87 per cent of Scottish people believe litter is an issue across the country.

“Scotland is currently facing a litter emergency and single-use vapes are an unwelcome addition. That’s why we are calling on all Scottish retailers to ban sales of the product.

“Cigarette litter in general makes up the biggest chunk of litter we record across Scotland, and we know that single-use vapes are increasing as a new, unnecessary litter type.”