The Scottish Government will "consider" outlawing disposable vapes after the Daily Record’s campaign calling for a crackdown was raised in parliament.
SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the Holyrood government was consulting experts on next steps including examining a potential ban.
He was responding to campaigning Green MSP Gillian Mackay - who supports prohibiting the single-use plastic gadgets - after she quizzed him on both public health and environmental concerns around the products.
It comes after the Record yesterday launched a new campaign to ban the disposable devices amid fears they’ve turned our streets into a plastic dumping ground.
We told how a staggering 1.3million single-use vapes are thrown away every week in the UK - a staggering rate of two per second - polluting public spaces, threatening wildlife and wasting precious lithium batteries.
The Nats-Green government banned most types of single-use plastics last summer, but disposable e-cigs weren’t affected - and they’ve exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among youngsters.
Mackay said in parliament: "As well as being an issue for public health, they are an issue for the environment, as covered by the campaign in the Daily Record today. Would the Cabinet Secretary support a ban on single-use vapes?"
Yousaf said Public Health Scotland is examining the impact of vaping, with an action plan due in autumn this year. And the health minister hailed the work of “vape crusader” Scots activist Laura Young who spoke to the Record yesterday about her campaigning to raise awareness of the growing litter menace from single-use products.
Yousaf said: "Can I congratulate the Daily Record on their campaign and make a special mention of Laura Young who I was reading about, colloquially described in the Daily Record as the ‘vape crusader’, which I thought was a fair name for her.
“She's done an incredible job going around the country, picking up these vapes that are undoubtedly causing environmental harm. Gillian Mackay is absolutely right, there's a public health issue that we are exploring and will explore.
"We will ask stakeholders with the relevant expertise to examine the evidence and assess what action the Scottish Government and other partners should take. That will include consideration of a potential ban."
He added the review would be carried out between his department and that of Scottish Green minister Lorna Slater, whose brief includes the so-called “circular economy”.
Slater confirmed the work would be led by Zero Waste Scotland, adding: "From litter on our streets, to the risk of fires in waste facilities, there are issues which need to be addressed urgently. We will consider the evidence and expert advice and come forward with policy options."
In a statement after the exchange, Mackay welcomed the review into single-use vapes as she pointed to rechargeable e-cigs that are more eco-friendly as the solution for Scots users.
The MSP said: “This review is a very welcome step. We need to consider all options to reduce the harmful impact that these products are having.
She added: “Disposable vapes are littering our local high streets and damaging our environment. The amount of waste they produce is staggering. We are in a climate emergency yet this multi-million pound industry is using damaging single-use products.”
And the move by ministers was also hailed by eco charities. Kim Pratt, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s welcome news that the Scottish Government will be reviewing the impact of disposable vapes.
“The batteries used in vapes contain lithium, which is needed to power electric vehicles in our transition to a low carbon future. This precious material should not be wasted in products which are thrown away after a single use.”
It came as BBC Radio Scotland’s morning phone-in was inundated with calls and texts raising concerns about how the brightly-coloured gizmos are targeted at kids and young Scots.
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