The UK Government has been told to ban the sale of single use vapes by 2024.
The Local Government Association (LGA) claims the vapes are a danger to health and the environment.
The LGA says 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week.
The LGA said vapes were a hazard for litter collection and started fires in bin lorries.
The single use vapes were designed as one unit so batteries cannot be separated from the plastic, making them almost impossible to recycle without going through special treatment.
The LGA said councils were also concerned about the impact vaping was having upon children and young people.
David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“Disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes.
However, the UK Vaping Industry Association defended disposable vapes.
John Dunne, the association’s director general said:
“Disposables have been around for well over a decade and provide a low-priced accessible product that helps smokers to quit smoking tobacco,”
He said the vape industry was working hard to minimise its environmental impact and warned a ban could see more black-market products coming into the UK.
