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Should We Implement a Legislative Ban on Single-Use Vapes in Ireland? by Niamh Guiry
If you’re walking through an Irish town or city, it won’t be long before you spot one (or many) brightly-coloured vapes that have been discarded on the ground or in our waterways. Vapes (also known as e-cigarettes) are handheld devices that use the heat generated from batteries to produce an aerosol mixture of nicotine, flavourings, and other chemicals that users inhale. First introduced to the market in the early 2000s, vaping has risen in popularity in recent years with many adults using vapes to stop smoking. They’re often perceived as being less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re safe.
The availability of sweet and dessert-like flavourings, colourful packaging, and aggressive marketing tactics means that young people make up a significant portion of vape users. The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2018 Study found that e-cigarette use is about twice as common as smoking traditional cigarettes.[1] A 2019 study found that nearly one in five students were currently vape users, with boys more likely to report that they had tried vapes than girls.[2] Alongside public health concerns, vapes (which can be single-use or rechargeable) also have a high environmental cost, which leads to the question: Should we ban disposable vapes in Ireland?
Littering & Pollution
Vapes are made up of a number of materials, including plastic, rubber, and metal.[3] This means that they can’t break down naturally and persist in our environments for a significant period of time. Cigarette-related items make up almost half of all litter pollution in Ireland.[4] Chris Moody, Head of the Save Our Bride Otters campaign in Cork, recently told the Irish Examiner that he often finds vapes in the River Bride and its associated drain culverts.[5] Not only are vapes physically polluting, but their chemicals are also harmful to our terrestrial and marine environments and the wildlife that inhabit them.
Wasting Precious Metals
1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away every week. As each vape contains a battery, this means that 10 tonnes of lithium are discarded annually, the equivalent of the batteries that can be found in 1,200 electric vehicles.[6] Vapes can be recycled in Ireland if they make it into a WEEE blue battery box that can be found in many shops and Local Authority Recycling Centres.[7] However, in light of substandard national recycling and waste management practices, it’s likely that most vapes are just being sent to landfill or incinerators in Ireland.[8]
Fire Risk
If the batteries in these products become ‘compromised’, they can pose a real fire risk, which is a particular health and safety concern for workers in recycling and waste management facilities.[9] The Grundon waste disposal plant in the UK, for example, has suffered from three fire outbreaks in recent months, with single-use vapes being the ‘chief suspects’ in each case.[10]
Recent Policy Developments in Ireland
New Irish vape regulations are already being developed. In November 2022, the government approved the introduction of restrictions on the selling of nicotine-inhaling products, which includes vapes, in self-service vending machines and the advertising of these products in cinemas and near schools through the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill.[11] In relation to drafting regulations to ban single-use vapes, Minister of State Ossian Smyth has remarked that a public consultation will be run before the government implements any changes.[12] The 2019 EU Directive on Single-Use Plastics, which aims to reduce the negative impacts of certain plastic products, could be a potential means to enforce this ban, according to Minister Smyth.[13]
Ireland isn’t the only country tightening restrictions on vapes. Countries like the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Denmark have moved to limit available vape flavours,[14] and Scotland is currently exploring the possibility of implementing a single-use vape ban, a move supported by zero-waste campaigners[15] and Local Authorities alike.[16] An outright ban on selling single-use vapes in Ireland won’t stop people from buying these products online. However, it would reduce their public availability and shift people towards reusable vapes, which would address at least part of the problem.
Stronger regulation around the selling and disposal of vapes in Ireland is critical to reduce their negative environmental impacts. Our government has demonstrated its ability to respond to similar waste challenges through the introduction of the ‘latte levy’. As part of the Circular Economy Act, a 20c charge on single-use cups is being introduced to avoid sending millions of cups to landfill or incinerators and incentivise people to opt for or carry reusable mugs.[17]
Whilst these developments are welcome, the prevalence of single-use cups and vapes is a symptom of a larger societal issue that must be addressed: Our unsustainable consumption and production habits. Throwaway culture, where items are discarded by consumers after one or several uses, has become a social norm. These widespread behaviours and attitudes are said to be influenced by a number of factors, including socioeconomic circumstances, available information, and levels of environmental concern.[18] Sustainable and low-carbon options are not accessible or available to everyone, and therefore, criticism of the use of disposable products should not be directed at the individual. Rather, this is a reflection of our flawed socioeconomic model that is fundamentally incompatible with ecological sustainability.
Banning harmful single-use products like vapes is a positive first step, but ultimately, we must work to dismantle our culture of mindless consumerism and re-evaluate our production practices to embed long-lasting sustainable change in Ireland and further afield. This is by no means a small task, but growing support for circular economy practices and a shift away from traditional economic growth shows that an appetite for change does exist. It is up to us to mobilise and demand that our policymakers implement and enforce robust regulations on our manufacturing, business, and waste industries to ensure a liveable and sustainable future for all.
[1] Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, ‘Consultation on draft regulations to introduce an environmental levy on single-use disposable cups’ (14 October 2022) https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/7fb23-consultation-on-draft-regulations-to-introduce-an-environmental-levy-on-single-use-disposable-cups/
[1] András Költő, et al., The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study 2018 (January 2020)
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/31531/1/HBSC_2018-report---online-version-interactive---updated.pdf
[2] Salome Sunday, et al., ESPAD 2019 Ireland: Summary Results from the European Schools Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs in Ireland. Dublin TFRI (2020) http://www.tri.ie/research.html
[3] Louise Smith and Nikki Sutherland, ‘The environmental impact of disposable vapes’ (November 2022)
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2022-0216/CDP-2022-0216.pdf
[4] Litter Monitoring Body, ‘System Results 2021 (April 2022)
[5] Sabah Meddings, ‘Disposable vapes are flooding the environment with plastic waste and creating an eyesore’ (Irish Examiner, 27 March 2023) https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/arid-41100340.html
[6] Louise Smith and Nikki Sutherland, ‘The environmental impact of disposable vapes’ (November 2022)
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2022-0216/CDP-2022-0216.pdf
[7] WEEE Ireland, ‘Free Vape & E‑Cigarette Device Recycling’
‘https://www.weeeireland.ie/vape-e-cigarette-device-recycling/#:~:text=Rechargeable%20vaping%20and%20e%2Dcigarette,Recycling%20Centres%2FCivic%20Amenity%20Sites
[8] Caroline O’Doherty, ‘‘Ireland is going in the wrong direction’ – country is producing more rubbish than ever as recycling rates stagnate’ (Independent, 6 December 2022) https://www.independent.ie/news/environment/ireland-is-going-in-the-wrong-direction-country-is-producing-more-rubbish-than-ever-as-recycling-rates-stagnate-42200884.html
[9] IEMA, ‘Disposable vapes – a challenge to the recycling sector’ (9 May 2022)
https://www.iema.net/articles/disposable-vapes-a-challenge-to-the-recycling-sector
[10] Sabah Meddings, ‘The Scourge of Vaping Is Hiding in Plain Sight’ (Bloomberg, 19 March 2023)
[11] Department to Health, ‘Government agrees to further regulation of e-cigarettes’ (22 November 2022) https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/59874-government-agrees-to-further-regulation-of-e-cigarettes/#:~:text=Other%20measures%20contained%20in%20the,events%20or%20locations%20for%20children
[12] Paul Hyland, ‘Minister defends plan to ban disposable vapes - ‘They’re making the world worse’ (Independent, 17 October 2022) https://www.independent.ie/news/environment/minister-defends-plan-to-ban-disposable-vapes-theyre-making-the-world-worse-42071990.html
[13] ibid.
[14] Jim Donald, ‘Netherlands Flavor Prohibition Will Take Effect July 2023’ (Vaping 360)
https://vaping360.com/vape-news/119240/netherlands-flavor-prohibition-will-take-effect-july-2023/
[15] Jenness Mitchell, ‘Disposable vapes face ban as Scotland launches urgent review’ (Sky News, 20 January 2023)
https://news.sky.com/story/disposable-vapes-face-ban-as-scotland-launches-urgent-review-12791017
[16] Felicity Clifford, ‘Council becomes first in Scotland to back disposable vapes ban’ (STV News, 25 February 2023)
https://news.stv.tv/north/disposable-vapes-dundee-city-council-will-write-to-scottish-government-calling-for-ban Glasgow City Council, ‘Glasgow Council Supports Ban on Sale of Single-Use Vapes’ (14 March 2023) https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=30072
[17] Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, ‘Consultation on draft regulations to introduce an environmental levy on single-use disposable cups’ (14 October 2022) https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/7fb23-consultation-on-draft-regulations-to-introduce-an-environmental-levy-on-single-use-disposable-cups/
[18] Gideon Fadiran and Stephen Onakuse, ‘Sustainable Production and Consumption:
The Influence of Social Norms’ (EPA Research 2018) https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/epa-research-2030-reports/Research_Report_408.pdf