Teen health concerns
Siân Swinton
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has unanimously voted to support a ban on single use vapes, coming in line with a majority of local councils in Scotland.
Single use vapes are electronic cigarettes marketed as ‘disposable’ and designed for one time use.
Councillor Susan Thomson, who led the proposal, said: “We want to make it clear we are not targeting refillable vapes, which can be a valuable tool to stop smoking. This is about marketing inappropriate products to children.”
The main focus of the ban is the danger to the health of young people, who are being enticed into using these devices by the bright colours and sweet flavours, according to the motion put to the Comhairle.
“Children and young people who vape have a three times higher risk of going on to smoke cigarettes,” said Cllr Thomson. “I just don’t think we know enough about them.”
The Health and Well-being Census Scotland 2021-2022 found that there were a higher number of regular vapers among S2 and S4 pupils than regular smokers with 6.7% and 2.7% respectively.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh both support a ban of the devices.
The environmental impact of single use vapes has also been brought into question. Laura Young, a climate activist and environmental scientist based in Dundee, has been very vocal about the campaign to ban single use vapes and points out on her website Less Waste Laura that many of the companies that make the vapes do not give sufficient information on how to dispose of them.
Despite their marketing as ‘disposable’, vapes are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and are meant to be disposed of at specialised centres rather than included in regular household waste.
The motion put to the Comhairle states: “…disposable vapes contain a range of precious metals including lithium and copper, which can be collected if recycled in a safe and appropriate manner…many disposable vapes are designed in a manner that does not allow for them to be disassembled and their valuable recyclable materials separated.”
Uist residents wishing to recycle these devices responsibly are unable to do so, as facilities to safely deal with them simply do not exist on the island.
As well as generating unwanted plastic waste, the single use vapes contain lithium-ion batteries which, when crushed, can cause fires and small explosions within bin lorries and at waste treatment centres. These ‘ghost fires’ have resulted in many waste treatment centres having to invest in fire detection technology at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The dangerous nature of the batteries also pose a risk to the person using the device and this is more difficult to control.
According to research commissioned by Material Focus, a non-profit organisation promoting re-use and recycling of electrical items, 1.3 million single use vapes are discarded each week, which adds up to 10 tonnes of lithium being wasted each year – enough to power batteries for 1200 electric vehicles.
Zero Waste Scotland has begun a review on the environmental impact of single use vapes, taking into account the loss of important resources such as lithium and the effect of plastic pollution. First Minister Humza Yousaf has confirmed a ban is something the Scottish Government is considering and will wait until the review has been completed to make final decisions.
Glastonbury festival was recently in the news for putting single use vapes on their ‘do not bring’ list due to their commitment to reducing their impact on the environment. Eilean Dorcha Festival, based on the fragile environment of Liniclate machair, were asked about their stance on the devices considering the landscape in which the festival takes place and were happy to say they would ban the devices too.
With a message also going out to parents of children at Sgoil Lionacleit regarding a meeting on the pupil use of vapes at school, it does seem as though distaste and worry surrounding single use vapes is coming from every area and aspect of the community.
Sgoil Lionacleit has scheduled a meeting with parents to discuss the issue.
The final point in the motion to the Comhairle states: “…a ban on the sale of disposable, single use vapes be introduced in Scotland as soon as is practicably possible in order to help move Scotland toward a sustainable circular economy and protect children and young people from risks to their long-term health.”
