The Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Tom Binet, and the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Jonathan Renouf, have confirmed they wish to move towards a ban on the sale of disposable vapes in Jersey, for both environmental and health-related reasons.
The proposed ban will be subject to consultation with stakeholders.
One route would be through an extension of the Single Use Plastics Law, which already prohibits the distribution of single-use-plastic bags and single-use-paper bags in the Island, and was designed in such a way as to be able to add other items, such as disposable vapes.
Millions of disposable vapes are thrown away each week across the British Isles. The make-up of these products is leading to valuable resources being thrown away, littering of the environment, and when they are included with general waste the materials are destroyed rather than reused.
Disposable vapes are a complex product, typically containing the following:
- A plastic/glass/cardboard or metal case
- Heating element (coil)
- Microprocessor
- Lithium-ion battery
- Liquid container typically made up of (nicotine, benzoic acid, piperonal and benzyl alcohol)
Although the separated parts can be recycled, it is a time-consuming, manual process. They can cause fires in bin lorries or at the Energy Recovery Facility if not disposed of correctly, especially if damaged. There are also concerns from a health perspective.
Other jurisdictions are also considering, or have already introduced, similar bans.
