Disposable Vapes Are Now Banned

Disposable Vapes are the embodiment of convenience when it comes to vaping. Their unrivalled success in the industry has been met with much criticism due to their effect on the environment as many millions go into landfill every week, as well as their uptake by young people & children. Nevertheless they offer a great introduction to vaping for those looking to quit smoking due to their simplicity and practicality. Simple inhale to use and dispose of responsibly!

What are Disposable Vapes?

Disposable vapes offer the most convenient form of vaping available thanks to their hands-free experience. Just inhale to activate. Once the battery or E-liquid has been depleted, simply dispose of responsibly and replace with another. Available in a huge range of flavours mostly in fruity and menthol varieties, there’s a huge range of brands and flavour profiles to choose from.

Disposable vapes deliver nicotine to the user through the mouthpiece when inhaled on. An integrated battery provides current to the heating element (coil) which atomises the E-Liquid in the surrounding wicking medium, producing a vapour containing the nicotine and flavour.

By now (October 2024) disposable vapes have seen their peak and their inevitable decline is ever-looming, whether due to new restrictions or the volatility of the market & the change in demand. But still they remain prolific in our convenience-led culture and many of us are asking the same question: How long do disposables Last? In Short, up to 3 days – if we consider the most popular 600 puff variation. This is a generalized answer and the longevity of any disposable vape may differ enormously depending on how it’s used, who it’s used by, puff length and frequency of use, among other things.

Disposable vapes aim to assist people in quitting smoking by providing the most similar sensation and experience in terms of simplicity and nicotine hit. Nic Salts provides a quicker nicotine hit than standard Freebase Nicotine and is used in all disposable vapes for this reason. It is much less harsh on your throat so it can be vaped at higher-strengths to better satisfy nicotine cravings – thus closely mimicking the sensation of smoking a cigarette, but without the toxic fumes.

Disposable vapes are simple and come in a huge range of simple yet strong flavours. They’re excellent tools for smokers to make that big first step and have proved to be wildly successful for that reason. Unfortunately, disposables are the least environmentally friendly vape devices available due to their single use nature.

What’s Inside a Disposable Vape?

The average disposable vape has a simple internal construction featuring a battery, the coil & wick and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor detects when the user inhales and a signal is sent to the battery to power the coil.

How Long Does a Disposable Vape Last?

Due to their convenience-orientated nature and their compact size, disposable vapes won’t usually last more than 3 days. As of October 2024, there are now a huge number of brands offering disposable vapes with thousands of puffs. The limit of 2ml capacity imposed by the TPD applies only to each individually enclosed tank – and a disposable can hold more than one which is how various brands are able to offer larger devices. Such disposable vapes are referred to as “big puff” disposables.

Disposable Vapes and their Effect on the Environment

It’s no secret that disposable vapes are an unsustainable vaping solution and their prolific availability gave rise to great media backlash, which prompted the government to discuss what to do about them. An outright ban has been mentioned but the update to the law won’t come until 2025. Each disposable vape holds a lithium battery and various electrical components, which end up in landfill or incineration when they’re disposed of. Lithium battery waste poses significant danger to the environment and it is for this reason that disposable vapes are a poor smoking cessation solution.

Where Can I Dispose of my Vape?

Despite their negative effects on the environment, there are ways you can dispose of them responsibly – by taking use of the vape recycling initiative. This initiative is in effect nationwide with many vape shops and recycling stations available. When using disposable vapes to quit smoking, it’s best practice to hold on to you dead vapes and dispose of them all at once, rather than revisiting the recycling station every few days.

Disposable Vape Flavours

The range of flavours available in single-use vapes is extensive and encompasses mostly fruity and cold aromas. With almost every fruit now available in a disposable, the choice of flavour is enormous. Not all shops stock a large range however, and most stick to the largest brand names which include Elf Bar, Lost Mary & Crystal Bar.

Are Disposable Vapes Safe?

Disposable Vapes are subject to legislation contained within the Tobacco Product Directive (the TPD). This legislation requires that each product goes through rigorous emissions testing to ensure no banned substances are contained. These include but are not limited to:

• Carbonyls
• Diacetyl 
• Acrolein 
• Acetoin 

It is however possible for various devices to be non-compliant in a number of ways. Opportunistic brands looking for a share in the market may choose to release their product to the market without having first reached compliance. This can include an e-liquid capacity over 2ml, nicotine strengths over 20mg/ml or the presence of banned chemicals.

It is best practice to stick with established brands as the authorities are quick to act on non-compliance.

Are they Addictive?

The vast majority of disposable vapes contain nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. Like any smoking cessation product, single use vapes should only be used by smokers to help them quit smoking. If it’s the flavour you’re after, we strongly advise that you stick to 0mg vapes.

What’s a Better Solution to Disposable Vapes?

Whilst disposable vapes have garnered much in the way of negative media coverage and a generally poor reputation amongst the public, they have actually provided the best case for vaping as an effective smoking cessation. Since their release to the market a few years ago, they’ve helped countless smokers to quit smoking. But because of their impact on the environment they shouldn’t be used indefinitely. Switching from a disposable vape to a reusable one such as a pod kit is the best step forwards and will help reduce your spend on vaping. Pod Kits also allow you to change your e-liquid whenever your want to, and the ability to swap out pods makes the experience simple & hassle free. For beginners, we recommend pod kits like the VMate i2 by Voopoo