The vaping world? Always changing, always pushing boundaries with mad tech and killer e-liquid flavours. Disposables crashed onto the scene, hyped as the easy way to help folks finally ditch the cigarettes. But let's be real, they turned into a monster problem for the planet, and now the UK is putting its foot down.
Yeah, you heard right. The disposable vape ban is locked in for 1 June 2025. If you're one of the millions using them, maybe you're stressing about what happens next. Deep breaths.
This isn't the end, it's just the start of a new chapter
There are wicked alternatives ready and waiting that don't just help you transition – they upgrade your whole vaping game. Think more flavour options than you can shake a stick at, way cheaper in the long run, and miles better for Mother Earth.
Forget binning a whole vape product after hitting a measly 600 puffs. We're talking refillables and pre-filled pods. They give you that hit of convenience you liked from disposables, but without the waste and the cost. They're sorted, legal, and here to stay.
What exactly does the vape ban mean and what products are affected?
Basically, disposable vapes are the fast food of the vaping world. Super simple little devices, pre-loaded with liquid and a built-in battery. No faffing about, just rip it out the box and puff. They were designed to make switching from smoking ridiculously easy, almost as easy as buying a pack of cigs. No charging, no refilling, zero brain cells required to figure them out. Just peel off a sticker and you're off.
Easy? Yes. Sustainable? Absolutely not. The backlash hit hard when everyone saw the state of things. Studies flagged them as a massive environmental disaster waiting to happen, and guess what? It happened.
Places everywhere are getting trashed with hazardous waste from these things.
Okay, But WHY the Ban?
Two big reasons are driving this ban: cleaning up the environment and stopping youth vaping.
Environmental Chaos: Disposables are a cocktail of plastic, lithium batteries, copper, and leftover nicotine liquid. They're a nightmare to recycle properly. Most end up in landfill or getting burnt, binning valuable stuff like lithium and copper, and chucking nasty chemicals into the air and ground. And those lithium batteries? They're a fire hazard when they're just tossed in normal bins, putting waste workers in danger.
8.2 million vapes are chucked or recycled wrong every single week in the UK
Material Focus, who know their stuff, reckon something mental like 8.2 million vapes (that includes disposables, pods, and bigger ones) are chucked or recycled wrong every single week in the UK. That's like 13 vapes hitting the bin every single second! Back in 2022, they figured 1.3 million disposables were binned weekly, enough lithium in a year from just those to power 1,200 electric cars. By 2024, the number of disposables binned weekly was pushing 5 million. We've got parks, streets, you name it, littered with this stuff.
Youth Appeal: The government's also proper worried about more and more kids and teens getting into vaping, especially disposables. Bright colours, sweet flavours that sound like sweets, cheap prices, and being able to grab them anywhere – it all made them way too tempting for underage users. Selling vapes to anyone under 18 is already illegal to sell, but the sheer presence and marketing around disposables definitely helped push vaping rates up in that age group. Plus, there's a load of dodgy, unregulated disposables getting into the UK with who-knows-what inside and random nicotine levels, a proper public health risk.
So, after kicking it around and bringing in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to make it happen, the government announced the ban on the sale and supply of disposable vape products across the UK from 1 June 2025.
Disposables vs Refillables vs Pre-filled Pods: What's the info?
They all do the same basic job, help you stop smoking. But how they do it, what they cost you, and how they hammer the planet? Miles apart.
Here’s the lowdown:
| Feature | Disposable Vape Devices | Refillable Vape Devices (e.g., Pod Kits, Mods) | Prefilled Vape Devices (e.g., Pod Kits) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Dead simple. No setup. No maintenance. | Gotta fill 'em with liquid, swap coils or pods now and then, and charge the battery. | Easy as pie. Just charge the device and click in a new prefilled pod. |
| Initial Cost | Proper cheap to buy one. | More cash needed upfront for the device itself. | Moderate cost for the device kit. |
| Running Cost | Rips your wallet (buy a new one every time). | Way cheaper. Just buy liquid and bits when needed. | Cheaper than disposables (buy packs of pods). |
| Flavour/Liquid Variety | Stuck with whatever flavour is in it. | Unlock a whole universe of e-liquids, flavours, nic salts, freebase, any strength, any blend! | Limited to the flavours the manufacturer makes pods for. |
| Environmental Impact | Trashes the planet (single-use landfill junk). | Miles better (rechargeable batteries, swap parts instead of binning the whole thing). | Much better than disposables (rechargeable device, less waste per puff). |
| Maintenance | Zero. Bin it when it's dead. | Need to clean, refill, and change coils/pods sometimes. | None needed, just swap the pod. |
| Performance | Can be a bit hit or miss, vapour/flavour varies. | Usually kicks out better clouds, sharper flavour, and lasts longer between charges. | Reliable performance, similar to disposables but rechargeable. |
| Convenience | Can't beat grabbing it and going. | Needs a bit of effort (filling, charging). | Super easy – click in a new pod and vape. |
So, Which Vaping Champion Should You Pick?
Picking your next vape product depends on what you're after once the disposables are gone.
Refillables are your jam if…
...you want the absolute best vaping experience, total freedom with your flavours, and wanna save serious cash long-term. If you're cool with filling a tank or popping in a new coil every now and then, this is where the real magic happens. You get access to literally thousands of e-liquids, pick your perfect strength (whether it's nic salts or freebase), your dream flavour, and how much cloud you want to blow.
Our top shout for a solid, easy-to-get-into refillable kit? The Oxva NeXlim. This bit of kit is a beast for battery life and works with all the XLIM pods (converter needed for older pods), so finding replacements is a breeze. It's dead easy to use, even if you've only known disposables. Wanna get started? Grab the OXVA NeXlim Kit and bag 3 FREE BAR EDTN or RIOT X liquids for just £27.99! That's a cracking deal to see what refillable flavour power is all about and start saving stacks compared to buying disposable after disposable that give you maybe 600 puffs if you're lucky.
Once you've got your refillable device locked and loaded, it's time to unleash the flavour! Ready to switch things up? Dive into our new RIOT X line. These are supercharged flavours, bold, electric, and crafted to flip your taste buds upside down. It's a flavour revolution.
Or, if you're craving those intense flavours you got from disposables but want to ditch the waste, our award-winning BAR EDTN range is your weapon of choice. We've nailed 40 bold, mouth-watering flavours inspired by the best disposables out there, but in an e-liquid format that's kind to your wallet and the planet. Our BAR EDTN range kicks off at just £3.99, and you can snag 4 for just £9.99! Seriously, work out how many 600 puffs disposables you'd buy for that – you'll see the light.
Prefilled devices are a winner if…
...you want that disposable convenience but need something legal, sustainable, and more cost-effective. If you like the idea of just swapping a pod instead of messing with bottles of liquid, prefilled systems are your perfect stepping stone. While you won't have the galaxy of flavours you get with refillables, brands like RIOT are packing serious flavour into their pre-filled pods.
Loads of prefilled kits are popping up, easy to use and decent flavour. But for flavour that punches and sustainability that matters, nothing touches the RIOT CONNEX.
Meet the RIOT CONNEX. The CONNEX Pods give you 20 award-winning flavours in a system that's sustainable, simple, and always on point. The device is rechargeable, so you're only binning a tiny pod, not a whole vape product. Miles less waste! We've got all the nic salts strengths you need to help you stop smoking, and guess what? We even dropped a brand new 0mg range for when you're ready to take the final step and quit vaping completely. It's all part of our mission for better public health.
Ready to ditch disposables the smart way? Grab the RIOT CONNEX. Get 4 pods, that's up to 2400 puffs (way more than a few 600 puffs disposables!), for just £10! It's built for zero faff: Snap it, grab it, vape it!
The disposable ban is coming, yeah. But it's not the end, it's a chance to rise up!
Discover vaping that's better for your pocket, better for the planet, and packed with mind-blowing flavour. Whether you join the refillable crew with our BAR EDTN or RIOT X liquids in a device like the Oxva NeXlim, or ride with the super-convenient RIOT CONNEX prefilled system, the future of vaping is looking bright. #BeMoreRiot
Forget Hi Ibiza. Say Bi to disposable vapes at the UK’s only countdown to the vape ban party!
We’ll give disposable vapes a “proper send-off” with guest DJs: Danny Rankin, Mas Que Nada Brothers & Samuel Morgan. Grab your tickets here now!
References:
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Sky News. (2025, May 20).
https://news.sky.com/story/disposable-vape-ban-about-to-start-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-13369020
- Disposable Vapes Impact Assessment.
GOV.UK. (n.d.).
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65eb1dac62ff489bab87b371/disposable-vapes-impact-assessment.pdf
- Single-use vapes ban: what businesses need to do.
GOV.UK. (2025, January 20).
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/single-use-vapes-ban
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ASH. (2025, April 9).
https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/news/blog/the-2025-disposable-vapes-ban-what-you-need-to-know
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British Safety Council. (2024, December 19).
https://www.britsafe.org/safety-management/2024/unsafe-disposal-of-millions-of-vapes-a-week-causing-environmental-damage-and-rise-in-lithium-ion-battery-fires
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Greenpeace UK. (2023, July 24).
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/are-disposable-vapes-bad-for-the-environment
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https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-great-britain
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https://www.materialfocus.org.uk/?press-releases=one-million-single-use-vapes-thrown-away-every-week-contributing-to-the-growing-e-waste-challenge-in-the-uk
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https://www.haypp.com/uk/learn/uk-disposable-vape-ban-2025-what-you-need-to-know
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https://resource.co/article/82-million-vapes-are-wrongly-discarded-each-week
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https://www.thecuriouseconomist.com/disposable-vape-ban-in-the-uk
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Bristol Live. (2025, May 24).
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/uk-disposable-vape-ban-date-9294562
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Material Focus. (2024, March 21).
https://www.materialfocus.org.uk/?press-releases=over-90-of-vape-producers-and-retailers-in-the-uk-are-still-failing-to-meet-environmental-regulations
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ASH. (n.d.).
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