Will California Ban Disposable Vapes? Lawmakers Push for Environmental Protection

ISLA VISTA, Calif. — Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ban the sale of disposable vapes in California.

The proposal comes as plastic pollution remains a persistent issue in the state. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), would prohibit the sale of new or refurbished single-use vapes.

"Long after they've been used and discarded, both the battery and the residual nicotine liquid can continue to pose a threat to the environment," Irwin said.

She noted that disposable vapes contain hazardous lithium-ion batteries with toxic chemicals that can ignite fires. Banning single-use vapes could help prevent battery acid from contaminating waterways and landfills.

“They end up thrown in landfills, where they contain leftover nicotine, lithium, plastic and battery acid,” Irwin said.

Not everyone supports the proposal.

“I totally understand why people would want a flavor ban and want to ban single-use cigarettes or e-cigarettes, but at the same time, it’s just not realistic to the demand,” said smoke shop employee Lauren Ainsley. “I think that instead, there should be a policy that isn’t banning but instead creating reform.”

Previous efforts to ban single-use vapes in California and New York have failed. In 2022, the California Grocers Association argued that a ban could lead to increased tobacco smuggling.

“I think there should be other ways to approach this because, as we’ve seen from the flavor ban on electronic cigarettes, people just find ways around it. In some ways, it creates more risks for businesses and customers,” Ainsley said.

Assemblymember Greg Hart has said traditional cigarettes have long harmed creeks, beaches, and waterways, and e-cigarettes only add to the problem. He commended Irwin for her efforts in pushing the ban.