Don’t get caught out by disposable vape ban, warn Trading Standards

Local business owners are being urged to avoid getting caught out by the incoming single use vape ban by taking advantage of an upcoming product amnesty.

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team is holding an event on 5 June between 10am and 3pm at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford for business owners to hand in all unsold products affected by the ban of single use vapes, which comes into force on 1 June.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing and Safety, said: “From next month it will be illegal for businesses to sell of supply what is commonly known as ‘disposable’ – or single use – vapes. These are products that cannot be refilled or reused.

“When discarded these vapes have been known to leak harmful substances, such as mercury, and microplastics into the surrounding environment, which can poison animals, damage the local eco system, and take hundreds of years to break down. They have also been known to cause fires when not safely disposed of.

“We want to help business owners not get caught out by the new law, and by providing these sessions we hope we can offer people a quick and easy way to return unsold stock, which we can safely dispose of in as environmentally friendly a way as possible.”

Those unable to attend on the 5 June can arrange an appointment to drop off products at trading standards’ offices in Oxford.

Anybody found to be selling or supplying single use vapes after 1 June can face criminal charges, including a heavy fine, a prison sentence, or both.

The legislation applies to all disposable vapes, including zero per cent nicotine varieties.

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