Health and beauty retailer Superdrug has said it will stop selling single-use vapes in its stores across the UK and Ireland, reports The Guardian.

By taking this action, the retailer has responded to concerns surrounding the impact the millions of discarded e-cigarettes are having on the environment. Superdrug said its stock would be completely cleared by the end of the year and it will no longer be stocking the single-use e-cigarettes at any of its stores in the UK or Ireland. Up until now, the company had sold and average of 1,300 units of single-use vapes in its stores each week, reports The Guardian.
“The rate that consumers are using single-use vapes and discarding them is worrying and alarming for the environment. The lasting effects that single-use vapes are having on the environment needs to be addressed, and I am pleased that we’ve decided to remove them from all stores,” said Lucy Morton-Channon, Superdrug’s head of environment, social and governance.
Apart from the environmental impact, Superdrug also cited the risk of fires caused by improperly disposed e-cigarettes as a driving factor in the decision.
“Single-use vapes blight our streets as litter, are a hazard in our bin lorries, are expensive and difficult to deal with in our recycling centres. It is important that a ban is brought in at pace. Disposable vapes are an inherently unsustainable product,” said David Fothergill, the chair of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board.