Neath Port Talbot Council Trading Standards Officers have taken possession of illegal, disposable vapes still found to be on offer in local shops despite a ban on their sale.
Following receipt of intelligence, the officers carried out visits to shops in Neath Port Talbot which were still selling the banned vapes.
In Wales, a ban on the sale of disposable vapes came into effect on June 1, 2025 – part of a larger effort across the UK to reduce the environmental impact of disposable vapes and to protect children.
Two shops were visited and a total of 67 disposable vapes were found. After speaking with the shop owners, the businesses voluntarily surrendered the vapes for disposal.
What constitutes as non-compliant is set out in the Environmental Protection (Single Use Vapes) (Wales) Regulations 2024. A single-use vape is a vape which is not designed or intended to be re-used and includes any vape which is not refillable and not rechargeable or both.
A vape is not considered rechargeable if it has a battery which cannot be recharged and/or a coil which cannot be bought separately and easily replaced.
The coil is the part of the heating element used to vaporize e-liquids. With a reusable vape, users 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 which cannot be bought separately and replaced and if the tank or pod cannot be refilled.
These will be safely disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations and the businesses will be sent a warning letter advising of more formal action (including fixed penalty notices, with the potential of prosecution) if they are found to be in possession of single use vapes with intent to supply in future.
A list of legal notified products can be found on the MHRA section of the Gov.uk web site at: https://cms.mhra.gov.uk/ecig-new
Cllr Cen Phillips, the council’s Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing, said: “The ban on disposable vapes is there to protect the public and the environment and has been well publicised.
“Disposable vapes are a significant problem, as they contain hazardous materials which are difficult to safely dispose of and because they are frequently purchased by under-18s.”
