Three-quarters of Brits support a ban on single-use vapes – the brightly-coloured disposable e-cigarette ‘pens’ that are increasingly washing up on the country’s beaches.
The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Marine Conservation Society, which highlighted growing numbers of the plastic devices in its annual Beachwater litter survey.
The charity noted that not only are single-use vapes made of plastic, which takes decades to break down, but also contain copper, lithium and a number of chemicals that can leach out into the environment.
And while selling vapes to under-18s is illegal, the most recent NHS data showed that 9% of 11- to 15-year-olds used e-cigarettes. Last month, England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty branded the marketing of vapes to children as ‘appalling’.
The Marine Conservation Society is supporting Youth Ocean Network member, Laura Young (@LessWasteLaura), with her campaign to ban disposable vapes. They’re asking anyone who finds a littered vape, whether on beaches or inland, to share a photo of it on social media, tagging @mcs_uk and @lesswastelaura and using #BanDisposableVapes.
The Beachwatch report 2022 showed that nine out of ten items found on UK beaches were made of plastic.
Clare Trotman, Beachwatch officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said: ‘Unfortunately the most common, and many of the oldest, items that we find washed up on our beaches are made from plastic. This is because it takes such a long time to break down, and when it does, it often breaks down into small pieces of plastic which can be harmful to marine life.
‘For the sake of people and planet, we’re urging decision makers to work towards a circular economy where the focus is to refuse, reduce, repair, reuse and recycle.’
More than 13,600 volunteers took part in the charity’s beach clean and litter survey, clearing 17,772kgs of rubbish from British shores. Among the items found were a wrapper from a 54321 chocolate bar – discontinued in 1989 – and a Woolworth’s wrapper offering a 4p saving.
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