Tag: disposable

  • U.K. Group: Harsh Fines for Selling Illegal Vapes

    U.K. Group: Harsh Fines for Selling Illegal Vapes

    U.K. firms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).

    Under the government’s plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of £100 by their local council.

    The LGA has said the proposed fine is too low and might let businesses off the hook. However, a minority could see the fine as a price worth paying to continue selling the products, it said.

    “We’re delighted that the government is taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes,” Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the leader of Islington Council and public health spokesperson for the LGA, said, according to media reports. “However, proposed penalties will be a drop in the ocean to a minority of unscrupulous businesses looking to make a quick buck after the ban comes into place.”

    Firms flouting the proposed ban on disposable vapes should face harsher fines to deter unscrupulous businesses, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

    Under the government’s plans, businesses caught selling disposable vapes once the ban is in place could be given a fixed-penalty notice of £100 by their local council.

    The LGA has said the proposed fine is too low and might let businesses off the hook. A minority could see the fine as a price worth paying to continue to sell the products, it said.

    Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the leader of Islington Council and public health spokesperson for the LGA, said: “We’re delighted that the government is taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes. However, proposed penalties will be a drop in the ocean to a minority of unscrupulous businesses looking to make a quick buck after the ban comes into place.”

    According to LGA analysis, councils can impose larger penalties for other offenses, including up to £500 for littering, £500 for excessive noise from licensed premises, £200 for a business failing to put up “no smoking” signs, and up to £150 for unauthorized distribution of free leaflets on public land.

    The LGA, representing councils in England and Wales, calls for the government to amend the tobacco and vaping bill to allow councils to impose more severe fines.

  • Calls for Scotland to Ban Disposables

    Calls for Scotland to Ban Disposables

    Image: ArieStudio | Adobe Stock

    A lawmaker in Scotland is calling for a ban on disposable vapes “after Scotland’s streets became a plastic dumping ground,” reports the Daily Record.

    Gillian Mackay of the Scottish Green Party said city parks have become clogged up by disposable plastic vaping products, which experts say are a threat to children’s health and a menace to wildlife, and she will urge the government to introduce a ban on disposable plastic vapes.

    Mackay warned that the single-use devices were turning up more and more on streets and in beach clean-ups—and claimed they could become “the cotton bud of their time.”

    The call comes after the Scottish government last year banned most types of single-use plastics as part of efforts to shift to a “circular economy” with fewer items wasted. However, last year’s measure excluded disposable e-cigarettes, which have seen a 14-fold increase in use compared with more eco-friendly rechargeable products.

    Mackay recently also called for a ban on flavored vaping products and all advertising for vaping products.

    Research last year found that 1.3 million single-use vapes are being discarded every week in the U.K., enough to cover 22 football pitches—an average of two thrown away every second.

    Recycling the products is tricky as inside the plastic are valuable lithium batteries. Campaigners say the number of batteries chucked away would be enough to power 1,200 electric cars.

  • Essentra launches rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes

    Essentra, a global supplier of specialist plastic, fiber and foam products, has launched two industry-leading e-cigarette solutions. The new e-cigarettes—a rechargeable and a disposable option—are the company’s first “full service” white-label products in the category.

    Developed in response to the company’s extensive customer research and industry insights, both e-cigarettes deliver a high-performing and consistent “extraction efficiency” for optimum taste and nicotine release, according to Essentra.

    “We have developed close and confidential partnerships with our customers by applying our technical expertise and analytical testing capabilities,” says Patrick Meredith, Innovations Director at Essentra. “This has allowed us to provide bespoke solutions that meet our customer’s demands.”

    Essentra’s rechargeable portfolio ranges from a traditional cigarette size to a cigar size. The company also offers e-cigarette kits, which include battery units, refill cartridges and a USB charging device. Designed to be a more convenient solution for consumers, the disposable e-cigarettes will be available as a single unit or as multiples, and are packaged into a branded outer carton or blister carton.

    The new rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes were developed using Essentra’s specialist knowledge and sector expertise, including its patent-pending reservoir technology. According to Essentra, the reservoir can be manufactured without the use of processing aids such as antistatic, lubricate, bonding agent or surfactant, meaning that it does not interfere with the chemistry of the e-liquid it holds and instead ensures a more pure experience.

    “As experts in specialty plastic, fiber, foam and packaging components, we can provide a complete end-to-end service while adding value and maximising efficiency,” says Meredith. “With the only independent e-cigarette testing laboratory in the industry, Essentra can guarantee consistent industry leading quality.”