According to the dailymail reported on September 4, following France’s plan to ban disposable e-cigarettes by the end of 2023, British activists are calling on the country to follow suit in cracking down on disposable e-cigarettes.
More than 150,000 people have now signed a Greenpeace petition calling for a ban on single-use e-cigarettes, after local councils in England previously called for a ban on an “inherently unsustainable product” that is “ruining our streets”.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has previously urged the UK to take action to “protect our planet, keep children safe and save taxpayers’ money” as it warned e-cigarettes were “almost impossible to recycle” and they were being marketed to young people.
Now, the French government has vowed to press ahead with its own plans to ban single-use e-cigarettes amid claims they encourage young people to smoke. The French plan comes on the heels of tough new restrictions on e-cigarettes in Australia and New Zealand, and plans to crack down on e-cigarettes in countries like Germany and Ireland.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born said in an interview with RTL radio on September 3 that the French government is planning to unveil new plans to tackle smoking, including a ban on the use of disposable e-cigarettes. Parliament has declared that single-use e-cigarettes should be banned: authorities have warned that brightly coloured e-cigarettes can leave children addicted to nicotine and are harmful to the environment, and Ms Born said e-cigarettes “give young people a bad habit”, claiming that smoking kills 75,000 people in France every year.
The French plan comes amid a growing backlash against e-cigarettes, with the European Union proposing a plan to ban single-use e-cigarettes by the end of 2026.
Both Germany and Ireland have outlined their own plans to restrict e-cigarettes, and the German government is currently considering an outright ban on single-use e-cigarettes. Separately, Australia has taken steps to make e-cigarettes available only to those with a prescription.
New Zealand has also instituted restrictions, banning vape shops from being located within 300 meters of schools and ensuring that all e-cigarettes must be equipped with removable batteries.
The LGA called for similar measures in the UK in July, calling for a “ban on e-cigarettes on environmental and health grounds”.
The body representing local councils in England has said single-use e-cigarettes are “almost impossible to recycle” and warned that the flammable lithium batteries they contain pose a fire hazard to waste trucks.
As concern grows about the popularity of e-cigarettes among children as young as 11, vape shops are selling them alongside candy. The LGA claims that 1.3 million disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away on UK streets every week.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has also launched a petition calling for a ban on single-use e-cigarettes, claiming they are “littering our communities, leaking chemicals into the environment and endangering local wildlife”.