Government urged to become first in Europe to ban 'disposable vapes'
A number of European governments are actively considering how to tackle the proliferation of the disposable form of e-cigarettes on health, social, and environmental grounds.
An environmental charity has urged the Government to become the first in Europe to ban disposable vapes outright.
Ireland has a leading legacy in tackling tobacco use already and should continue that by banning disposable e-cigarettes "as soon as possible", Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment (Voice) said.
A number of European governments are actively considering how to tackle the proliferation of the disposable form of e-cigarettes on health, social, and environmental grounds.
Unlike the long-term use of regular e-cigarettes which can be charged using a USB cable for years on end, disposable vapes are ones that last for a certain amount of puffs before being discarded.
They are far cheaper than regular vaping devices, with ample anecdotal evidence of their blighting urban and rural landscapes across Ireland by being thrown away when there is no liquid left to vape.
New legislation cracking down on selling e-cigarettes and vaping devices to minors was approved on Tuesday, but disposable vapes are not covered in it.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that a ban on disposable vapes is the subject of "ongoing discussion".
Circular Economy Minister Ossian Smyth has previously signalled his support for banning disposable vapes on environmental grounds.
Voice said it shared Mr Smyth’s concerns about the wasteful use of valuable resources, such as lithium and copper, in disposable vapes.
"These materials are critical for building a greener economy and should not be wasted on a product that is designed to be used only once. As the leading NGO on waste issues and the circular economy...we believe that the ban on disposable vapes is a crucial step in achieving this goal," it said.
The group's chief executive, Tad Kirakowski, called a ban on disposable vapes a "win-win scenario".
"We reduce the health impacts and nicotine addiction of young people, we reduce the use of critical raw materials needed for other more worthy technologies, and we reduce a significant littered item. There is no justification for the production or use of this wasteful single-use item and a ban based on health and environmental grounds is completely reasonable and needed," he said.
The banning of disposable vapes is being discussed across Europe currently.
Bans are under consideration in Scotland, while Tory Party MP and consultant paediatrician Caroline Johnson put forward a proposed bill in February in the House of Commons that would ban their sale.
A French bill last year called for a complete ban on the "manufacture, sale, distribution or free offer” of single-use e-cigarettes on the ground that they are "an aberration from the point of view of both public health and the environmental footprint”.
German calls for a ban on disposable vapes are growing, with Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke signalling support.
Australia banned recreational vaping in the biggest crackdown yet last month, with disposable vapes to be outlawed. It will see e-cigarettes being sold only in pharmacies to assist smokers to quit.
