Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024: enforcement guidance

B: Key information

Why Scotland, along with the other UK nations is banning the sale and supply of single-use vapes

Single-use vapes (also known as disposable vapes) are an inefficient use of critical resources and are often discarded as litter or thrown into residual (non-recycled) waste. Littering spoils our communities, introduces harmful substances into the soil, rivers and streams, and causes harm to biodiversity. When single-use vapes are thrown into black bins they often end up in landfill or are incinerated, which means critical resources are lost. They can also cause fires, which risks the safety of waste management workers, firefighters and the public.

To stop this, Scotland alongside England, Wales and Northern Ireland are each banning the sale and supply of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025.

The Environmental Protection (Single-Use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024

The Vapes Regulations prohibit the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament approved the Vapes Regulations on 25 September 2024, which were signed into law on 1 October 2024. Similar legislation has been introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A coming into force date of 1 April 2025 had previously been agreed upon by the four UK Nations to ensure alignment.

Due to the impact of the 2024 UK General Election, the UK Government was unable to meet the 1 April 2025 coming into force date for their regulations. A new coming into force date of 1 June 2025 was agreed at a four nations level and included in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish Regulations. Amending regulations have now been passed by the Scottish Parliament to amend the coming into force date in the Vapes Regulations to 1 June 2025, bringing Scotland in line with the other UK nations. The amending regulations will also introduce greater enforcement powers, specifically a fixed penalty notice procedure, which is set out in section D.