Flashing neon signs advertising ‘VAPES HERE’, towering displays atop corner shop counters and stacks of the rainbow-coloured packaging adorning shop windows – this has become the norm for most high streets. North End Road in Fulham is no different, with nearly 10 shops boasting their large displays along the stretch of road, writes Nadia Lincoln…
However, just as quickly as the disposable vape storm came, it could be gone. The Government has announced that the sale of disposable vapes will be prohibited by next summer.
New legislation set to ban the sale of single-use vapes from June 1, 2025, was presented in Parliament on Wednesday (October 23). The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has stated that businesses will have until that deadline to sell any remaining stock they hold before the ban comes into force.
Some of the prominent vape shops and off-licences in Fulham have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they agree with the government’s decision to ban disposable vapes. They say they see children using them locally and the discarded vapes littering the town’s streets.
Stood at the counter behind a display of colourful vapes, shop worker Parin Vyas, said he was concerned about how easy it seemed for under-18s to buy vapes. He agreed that the ban would be good for the younger generation.
“I see under 18s – 14 and 15 years old – having vapes even though they don’t know what’s the effect to them. In my shop it’s very strict, we are not selling any underage. They should stop [the sale of disposable vapes], to be honest, because the new generation is going too much on this.”
He said his off-licence shop, All in 1 Food & Wine, had already reduced the number of disposables they were buying and selling as they knew the Government had already spoken about their intention to bring in a vaping ban. He also said he had noticed issues with the single-use vapes littering the road before.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh criticised single-use vapes for being ‘extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities’. She said the move from the Government would be an attempt to end the nation’s ‘throwaway culture’.
Javed Muhammad, who works in the Hair of the Dog off-licence, said he was not concerned that the ban would affect his shop’s sales as new alternatives, such as chargeable vapes, were becoming more popular. He said that, as the other products would be ‘long-life’, he hoped it would reduce the waste and cut down on littering from disposables.
Last year’s figures suggest that nearly five million single-use vapes were discarded or thrown into general waste every week in the UK, which marks an almost fourfold increase from the previous year. Studies also suggest that up to a quarter of 11-15-year-olds used a vape last year, with disposables being the most attractive choice.
Raj Patel, another shopkeeper working in Fulham, told the LDRS that he believed the ban would be a good step from the Government and could help clean up the high street and protect young people. He said: “There’s always something coming new like juice, the E-liquid ones, chargeable. There’s basically no effect [on the business]. I’m selling vapes, but I refuse many customers underage. I see so much vapes in the park, I see so many people smoking on the train around elderly people, kids. So the ban is a good thing.”
Many other specialist shops along the road were indifferent to the Government’s announcement, saying that they had noticed customers were already moving to the bigger, chargeable vapes unprompted. They felt that the hole left on their shelves and counters could be quickly filled by alternatives before June 2025.
Another issue is the fire risk associated with vapes in general. Veolia, which collects bins across Hammersmith and Fulham, says vapes being thrown in household waste puts people at risk because, when crushed, the batteries can explode. Hammersmith and Fulham Council, partly to tackle this issue, has a policy that all vape retailers in the borough must offer recycling services to customers. Vape recycling bins have been placed at shops and libraries across the borough.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council was contacted for comment.
