Local council backs calls to ban disposable vapes
Set of colorful disposable electronic cigarettes of different shapes on a white background. The concept of modern smoking
Glasgow City Council (GCC) has announced it supports a ban on disposable vapes.
Climate activist Laura Young began an online movement; #BanDisposableVapes. She said that the move was “amazing” after the GCC followed Dundee, which became the first council area to call for a ban of disposable vapes in Scotland.
Renfrewshire Council has also joined the movement, announcing their support of the movement also.
Glasgow’s Environment and Liveable Neighbourhoods Committee also voiced concerns, saying even though vapes are seen to be safer than smoking they “still contain nicotine and the recent seizures by the city’s Trading Standards team found many in shops and wholesalers which contained more than the legal limit.”
This comes after a press release was published by Glasgow City Council which revealed that Trading Standards had confiscated over 13,000 non-compliant single use vapes for additional inspection.
The vapes were taken due to concerns over tank capacity and nicotine strength exceeding permitted levels.
Ms Young said: “It should not fall to councils or community groups to pick up the pieces.
“This is the responsibility of the vaping industry to follow regulations that are in place and funding the recycling of this because currently it’s falling to local councils and the taxpayer who end up having to pay for this.”
Gillian Mackay MSP and Scottish Greens health spokesperson said: “Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city, and it is great to see such a major Council taking a stand.
“It sets an important precedent that we hope other councils will follow and adds weight to the growing calls for a ban.”
The Scottish Government in January arranged for an “urgent review” to be conducted by Zero Waste Scotland, with the results to be published in May. Ms Young said: “I hope that they can do exactly what everybody else has, which is look at it objectively and see the massive number of issues.
“[for example] public health, young people and the environment and realise that a ban on single use disposable, electronic vapes is absolutely the right way to go.”
