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ACS Welcomes Ban Guidance

The Association of Convenience Stores has welcomed new guidance from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs about the forthcoming ban on disposable vapes

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The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed new guidance from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) about the forthcoming ban on disposable/single-use vapes. The guidance sets out more detail on the definitions of single-use or disposable vapes, the penalties for selling them after the introduction of the ban on June 1st this year, and what to do if retailers have stock of single use vapes.

The ACS says the new guidance confirms information it had circulated to its members through its dedicated Assured Advice guide on selling vapes responsibly. 

The ACS Selling Vapes Responsibly guide also includes advice for retailers on how to spot an illicit product, with information on all of the things to look out for on the packaging and where to check the list of legitimate products, as well as advice on preventing underage sales and the use of Challenge25 to support colleagues.

As part of the guidance, DEFRA has reminded retailers of their responsibilities when it comes to vape recycling. Since the start of 2024, retailers who sell vapes have been required to provide a takeback service for customers on a minimum of a ‘one for one’ basis (a customer can return a vape when they purchase a new one). The DEFRA guidance clarifies that if a retailer sells vapes, they must offer a ‘take-back’ service where they accept vapes and vape parts which includes any single-use vapes returned by customers after the introduction of the ban on June 1st. The WEEE regulations state that this take-back service must be provided on a minimum of a one-for-one basis.

Anyone selling disposable vapes from June 1st 2025 could be subject to a £200 fixed penalty notice, followed by further enforcement action if illicit activity continues.

ACS' Assured Advice guides provide accredited standards for in-store procedures, such as health and safety or underage sales. 

The organisation says: “By signing up to the ACS Assured Advice scheme and following our guidelines, the procedures in retail stores will be respected by ALL local enforcement officers including Environmental health and Trading Standards officers. ACS direct retailer members are covered by the protections of Assured Advice, but it can still be used as industry leading best practice for non-members.”

Dave Cross avatar

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV
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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.

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