SINGLE-USE vapes have been banned across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Now a leading Dunoon businesswoman hopes its impact will benefit her shop, The Great E-Vape, on Argyll Street.
Katrina McCallum said taking away single-use or disposable vapes will help people focus on choosing the multi-vape that is best for them. And that could be good for her business.
She does not believe a ban was necessary.
“There has been a lot of negative coverage for years, much of it mis-informed.
“In my opinion, I don’t think there was anything wrong with disposable vapes.”
She continued: “It is not the only thing in the world that has batteries and is disposable.
“There’s lots of wastage everywhere, not just these (single-use) vapes.”
The shop owner sees the ban as an opportunity to educate people better on the whole issue of vaping.
Katrina McCallum is committed to complying with the terms of her licence to sell the products.
“If I lose my licence, I lose my business. Some stores that sell vapes sell other things too, so perhaps they are not so attentive. They’re not reliant on just a single product,” she said.
The clampdown comes after years of campaigning by environmental and health organisations.
The Scottish Government’s Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Scotland was the first nation in the UK to commit to taking action on single-use vapes.
“It’s estimated that over half of disposable vapes are incorrectly disposed of each year in Scotland creating a fire risk and littering our beautiful environment.
“They also contain nicotine which is highly addictive.”
Single-use vapes are generally similar in size and shape to tobacco cigarettes. But unlike refillable vape systems, they require no maintenance or charging.
Last year, it was estimated almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week across the UK. That’s the equivalent of eight being thrown away every second.
There was an exponential increase in children’s use of e-cigarettes in Scotland, driven by the popularity of disposable vapes, between 2018 and 2022.
The Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, Barry Fisher, said: “I’m proud of the effort we have made, alongside our partners, to see this product banned in Scotland.
“It shows what true collaboration can achieve.”
He said the single-use vapes had become the fastest growing item of litter on Scotland’s streets, parks and beaches.
