DISPOSABLE vapes cause litter problems, are a fire hazard and appeal too strongly to children, according to local councils in England and Wales reports the BBC.
The Local Government Association has called for them to be banned by 2024.
Single use varieties have surged in popularity in recent years, driven by Chinese brands such as Elfbar and Lost Mary.
But the UK Vaping Industry Association says they help smokers quit and can be recycled.
Disposable vapes offer a few hundred puffs of nicotine-containing vapour, often with an added flavour of fruit or sweets, in bright plastic packaging – which are thrown away when empty.
They are easier to use than conventional vapes, or e-cigarettes, which need to be refilled with pods or liquid.
Disposable ones also contain a small lithium battery, which can increase in temperature when crushed, causing fires in bin lorries, the Local Government Association (LGA) warns.
They are difficult to recycle without specialist equipment, and with 1.3 million thrown away each week, they are a litter problem too, the LGA says.
Figures from research firm NielsenIQ suggest the problem could be even bigger than that. It says nearly 300m e-cigarettes (disposable and otherwise) were sold in the UK over the last year.
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