Ban on single-use vapes

A single-use or disposable vape is a product that’s neither designed nor intended to be re-used.

For a vape to be considered reusable, it must be both:

• rechargeable
• refillable

A vape is not considered reusable, if it is:

• rechargeable but not refillable
• refillable but not rechargeable

A vape is not considered rechargeable if it has a:

• battery you cannot recharge
• coil you cannot buy separately and easily replace

The coil is the part of the vape that’s powered by the battery to produce heat, vaporising the e-liquid. With a reusable vape, you may be able to directly remove and replace the coil, or remove and replace the pod or cartridge in which the coil is encased.

A vape is not considered refillable if:

• it has a single-use container, such as a pre-filled pod, that you cannot buy separately and replace
• you cannot refill the container

The container may be in the form of:

• a capsule
• a cartridge
• a pod
• a tank
• anything designed to hold the vaping liquid and be used within the vape

To be reusable, a vape must:

• have a battery you can recharge
• be refillable with vape liquid

If the vape has a coil, it must be one that can be replaced by an average user – this includes any part of the product that heats or generates a vapour when interacting with the product’s ingredients.

The vape may be refilled by either:

• filling up the tank or cartridge with e-liquid
• inserting new pre-filled pods

Refills (pods or vape liquid refill bottles) should be separately available for users to buy.

If the vape has a coil, it may be replaced by either:

· Removing and replacing it

· Removing and replacing a pod or tank that contains it

The coil (whether part of a replacement pod or tank, or not) should be separately available to buy.

By law, you must assist the enforcing authority and provide any information or evidence they ask for during an inspection. You’ll need to be able to demonstrate that an average user can separately buy individual refill items (including pods or e-liquid refill bottles) for the vaping items you stock. An easy way of doing this is by providing these items in your shop or online store.

An example of a reusable vape is a device that has a:

• chamber, pod or tank you can refill using e-liquid you’ve bought separately
• rechargeable battery
• removable and replaceable coil

You refill the liquid using a refilling port, which is attached to the chamber or tank. The coil is situated within the tank and you remove it separately by pulling or unscrewing it from the tank. You recharge the battery with a recharging port, which is typically USB or USB-C.

Another example of a reusable vape is a pod-based device that includes either a:

• pre-filled pod you replace when the e-liquid runs out
• refillable pod you refill using separately bought e-liquid and replace when necessary

In pre-filled pods, the pod usually contains the coil or heating element, which you replace alongside the entire pod. In refillable pods, you replace the coil separately by pulling or unscrewing it from the tank. In both types, the battery must also be rechargeable using a recharging port, which is typically USB or USB-C.

To be considered reusable, replacement components (including the pre-filled pods, e-liquid refill bottles and coils) must be separately available to buy either in-store or online.

The following are some examples of common models that are not considered reusable.

Single stick devices that have the mouthpiece, tank and battery fixed together. The liquid and the coil are not accessible. Even if the device contains a USB port, suggesting that the battery can be recharged, it will still be illegal to sell or supply it.

Devices that allow you to refill the tank and charge the battery, but where the coil is encased in the device and cannot be replaced. This kind of device is not reusable because once the coil has burnt out, it’s not possible to replace it with a new one.

Devices that appear to be reusable but where it’s not possible for a user to separately buy the refill e-liquid, pre-filled pods or replacement coil (in your shop or anywhere).

You can check whether a nicotine-containing vaping product is reusable on the MHRA website, but you must first consider the ‘definition of a reusable vape’ above to make sure the product is refillable and rechargeable.

Before a nicotine-containing vape is placed on the market, it must be notified to and approved by the MHRA, who confirm this by publishing the product on the MHRA notified products list. If a product is not listed, it’s not legal to sell or supply it in the UK.

From 1 June 2025, the MHRA will remove all single-use vaping products (containing nicotine) from the list. To prepare, you should stop buying any single-use vapes now and prioritise reducing any current stock.

Vapes that do not contain nicotine do not have to be registered on the MHRA website, so it’s important that you check that the product is not single-use by other means. Contact your local Trading Standards for advice if you’re unsure.

If a vape is on the notified products list but you think it does not meet the definition of a reusable vape, it could be a single-use vape and illegal for you to sell or supply it. Contact your local Trading Standards if you’re unsure about a specific product.

It’s the legal responsibility of every individual within the supply chain to provide evidence that a product is legal. If you’re a supplier or retailer, you must be able to show you took steps to check your product is legal and meets the definition of a reusable vape.

You must also provide any information requested by an individual or service enforcing the ban unless the information is legally privileged (protected by law from being revealed).

Aside from the restrictions on vaping devices outlined in this guidance, reusable vapes will still be subject to wider regulatory restrictions. Vapes on the market must follow relevant regulations, such as:

• the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals Regulations (2015)
• the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR)
• waste regulations that apply to electrical equipment and batteries – this includes the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 and related legislation

Read guidance on these additional restrictions for:

• vaping products
• packaging of electronic cigarettes and refill containers

Vapes are electrical items, whether they are single-use or reusable, which means they are covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. If you sell vapes (described as being a ‘distributor’ in the regulations), you must offer a ‘take back’ service where you accept vapes and vape parts (such as used pods, coils or batteries) that customers return for recycling.

This includes any single-use vapes returned by customers after the sale and supply ban has come into force on 1 June 2025. 

The Office for Product Safety and Standards may take action against you if you do not have a way to safely recycle vapes and vape parts.

Unsafe storage of vapes or improper disposal is a fire risk. Vapes should be disposed of in vape bins only and regularly collected for recycling.

Access a guidance video on your responsibilities as a vape retailer (available in 120 languages).

If you still have single-use vapes in your possession from 1 June 2025, you will not be able to sell or supply them to customers.

You’ll need to arrange for these vapes to be recycled. If you have vape bin services, you should do this through the company they provide – you may need to pay a fee. If you do not responsibly recycle single-use vape stocks by 1 June 2025, you’ll put your business at risk of commercial loss and legal enforcement action.

To prepare for the ban, you should:

• stop buying new stock of single-use vapes
• sell through all existing stock
• buy vapes that follow the new regulations

From 1 June 2025, if you possess any leftover single-use vaping products, you’ll need to:

• separate them from other goods
• label them as unsellable
• remove them from your shop floor or online store until they’ve been collected by a registered vape recycling service