Rotherham Council joins call to ban disposable vapes ‘to protect children’

Last month, the BBC reported that the Local Government Association (LGA) said 1.3 million vapes were thrown away each week with a call for them to be banned by 2024.

Figures from research firm NielsenIQ suggest the problem could be even bigger than that. It says nearly 300m e-cigarettes (disposable and otherwise) were sold in the UK over the last year.

Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes.”

The Local Democracy Service approached Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to check whether they agreed with the proposal and what their policy regarding vapes is.

Cllr David Roche, the cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said Rotherham urged the government to ban disposable vapes to “protect, keep children safe and save taxpayers’ money”.

He said: “Many councils across the country are collectively calling for a ban on single-use vapes given their appeal to children, their lack of recyclability and the dangers they pose in terms of fire risk.

“Disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes.

“In Rotherham, the council and its partners take part in a range of activities to encourage residents to stop smoking and have access to tailored support. We have strong support services for those looking to stop smoking including through Get Healthy Rotherham, Rotherham Hospital’s inpatient stop-smoking services, and Rother Hive.

“The council is also working with schools to educate young people on the dangers of vaping, as well as the dangers of smoking.”

However, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said that the “low price, accessibility and ease of use” of disposable products had helped bring UK smoking rates to an “all-time low”.

Cllr Wendy Cain, Barnsley Council’s cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, added despite the impact vaping may have on people wanting to quit smoking, their advice is “if you don’t smoke, don’t start to vape”.

She said: “We’re pleased to see that 79% of young people said they have never tried an e-cigarette in our recent survey. We’ve been working closely with carers and educators to have evidence-based conversations so young people can make informed decisions about smoking and vaping.

“To prevent young people from accessing vapes, we’ve extended our Making Smoking Invisible initiative to include vaping within smoke-free areas.

“Our Regulatory Services investigate all complaints relating to the underage sale of vapes, and we’ve recently prosecuted a shop owner to demonstrate our zero-tolerance approach.”