Under The Environmental Protection (Single-Use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024, a single-use vape is defined as a device that:
is not designed to be refilled
is not designed to be recharged, or
meets both criteria above.
It is an offence to have disposable vaping products in your possession for sale. This applies to both in-store and online sales.
Defra guidance
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] has published guidance on:
practical steps to transition to compliant products
enforcement measures and potential penalties for non-compliance
Read the Single use vapes ban guidance.
Enforcement and penalties
Enforcement of the ban in Scotland is carried out by local Trading Standards teams.
Businesses found in violation may face:
seizure of non-compliant products
fixed penalty notice
criminal prosecution with fines of up to £5000
Why this ban matters
Single-use vapes are difficult to recycle. They typically end up in landfills, where their batteries can leak harmful waste like battery acid, lithium, and mercury.
Batteries thrown into household waste also cause fires in bin lorries and waste-processing centres.
Defra estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown into general waste each week last year.
Get in touch
For questions or support, email Trading Standards on tradstand@angus.gov.uk or call our contact centre on 03452 777 778.