It’s now officially against the law for businesses in Jersey to sell single-use vapes – but what are they supposed to do with the left-over e-cigarettes?
It became illegal to import and supply single-use vapes in Jersey on 1 August 2025, but retailers were given a six-month sell-through period to get rid of any remaining stock.
There was a flurry of discounted vapes on sale across the island in a bid to eliminate old stock ahead of the end of that period on Sunday 1 February.
The single-use vape ban came into place primarily as an environmental measure, as single-use vapes are difficult to recycle and are a fire hazard when disposed of with general rubbish.
However, there were also public health concerns, including that the cheap single-use e-cigarette devices were accessible to children and young people.
The difficulty with disposing of the remaining unsold vapes is that the batteries within them contain certain dangerous metals and chemicals.
These include lithium, manganese and cobalt – which often make up a third of the weight in products – that have to be recycled safely.
Pictured: Vapes Jersey owner Sarah Ward warned that “the real issue” with vaping in Jersey is devices being sold to under-18s.
Vapes Jersey owner Sarah Ward told Express that she had not noticed any decrease in people buying vapes ahead of the ban, as customers had simply “adapted to the new style or moved on to a traditional vaping device”.
She said that she only had “around 14 to 18” disposable vapes left after the 1 February deadline, which will go to recycling.
While Sarah did not mind not being able to sell disposable vapes after the enforcement date, she said there is a fundamental issue with the new law itself.
The vape shop owner claimed that there is “actually more plastic waste” if people are buying reusable vapes, because they are made up of “two or three” items – such as pods – which have to be replaced “every couple of weeks”.
Therefore, whilst the disposable-vape ban “decreases the amount of battery waste”, Sarah said it also causes “an increase in plastic waste”.
Pictured: VaporizerHut Limited director Ross Barker.
VaporizerHut Limited director Ross Barker said it was “annoying” to have to throw stock out following the single-use vape ban.
While he “understands” there has to be a date for when the ban comes into effect, he said it would’ve been better if they could have sold the remaining ones that “already exist”.
In the back of the VaporizerHut Limited store was a box filled to the brim with vapes that didn’t get sold in time, awaiting being picked up by recycling.
Ross explained that this included “less popular flavours”, such as lychee and coconut.
Pictured: The VaporizerHut Limited had a box filled with single-use vapes that didn’t get sold in time. Credit: Elen Johnston
Environment Minister Steve Luce said that islanders can take used disposable vapes to mini battery recycling banks or the Household Reuse and Recycling Centre at La Collette.
Retailers looking to dispose of single-use vapes that can no longer be sold should contact the waste and recycling team, he added.
An Infrastructure and Environment spokesperson highlighted that the grace period was introduced following engagement with local vape retailers.
“While of course some waste is still being produced, the mix of materials being disposed is significantly less compared to when single-use vapes were in circulation,” they added.
On 1 February 2026, it became illegal for traders and islanders to:
Sell, lend, exchange or gift single-use vapes
Order single-use vapes from an off-island trader and import them by post
Bring single-use vapes into the island in personal baggage.
Anyone who imports single-use vapes will have the items seized and could be fined up to £1,000.
A vape is considered single-use if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
It cannot be reused
It cannot be refilled
Its battery cannot be recharged
Its coil cannot be replaced.
Vapes that are permitted must be designed to allow all of the above functions.
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland banned the sale and supply of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025 with no selling-through period.
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