'They're the number one thing I find': litter-picker welcomes ban on disposable vapes
Owner of Community CleanUP, Mike Scotland, says single-use vapes are at the top of the list of items he comes across when litter-picking.
Scotland will follow England and Wales in banning single-use vapes as part of a crackdown to prevent them getting into the hands of youngsters.
It comes as it will also be made illegal for anyone born after 2009 to buy tobacco products in a bit to tackle smoking.
However, it's not just health impacts raising concerns regarding the throw-away e-cigarettes.
Mike Scotland, founder of Community CleanUP, frequently organises mass litter-picking events at Aberdeen beach and various locations around the Granite City.
He says vapes seem to be "pretty much everywhere" and surpassed the amount of face masks he would encounter on the streets during the pandemic.
Mike said: "When it comes to litter-picking, vapes is probably at the top of the list."
"I don't think it really matters where you go - whether you're in the city or in the countryside - there always seems to be some form of vape or a vape packet either lying in a gutter, submerged in a drain, on a hill, on the roadside, on a path.
"Vapes seem to be pretty much everywhere.
"During the Covid times it used to be face masks but now it is pretty clear and evident to see that vapes have just hit the top of the list."
Disposable vapes are "misleading"
Mike thinks the concept of the disposable vapes has been misleading, with those that use them led to believe they can be disposed of anywhere.
The vapes have to be disposed of in a specific recycling bin due to their lithium battery making them unsafe to be thrown into a normal bin - something Mike says people don't know about.
He continued: "When it comes to putting them in the correct waste segregations - vapes need to go in a specific type of waste segregated bin.
"They can't just go in your normal bin or your recycling bin back home, or even in recycling bins out on the street.
"They have their own designated bin which I think a lot of people are not made aware of."
Ban will mirror England and Wales
Minister Lorna Slater said there is a "clear majority" for an outright ban of the products in the UK.
Ms Slater said: "From litter on our streets, to the risk of fires in waste facilities, single-use vapes are an increasing issue - for our environment, local communities and young people.
"We were the first Government to commit to taking action on single-use vapes and, having now fulfilled our 2023 Programme for Government commitment to consult on measures to tackle the environmental impact of single-use vapes, I welcome the findings from this UK-wide consultation.
"It shows a clear majority preference for a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland.
"I will now work to introduce legislation to ban them, working alongside public health minister Jenni Minto, to carefully consider any potential public health impacts. Ms Minto will also be working on a separate package of measures to create a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034 and tackle youth vaping."