Retailers warned as disposable ‘big puff’ vapes, designed to look like refillables, flood market

New sneaky “big puff” single-use vapes with superficial recharging and refilling features are flooding the market to get around the incoming disposables ban, a leading Scots vape retailer has warned.

Edinburgh-based chain VPZ said the larger “regulation-bending” devices are already flooding the UK market ahead of next Spring’s ban.

“Big puff” vapes – which carry up to six times more e-liquid than standard disposable – seek to cynically exploit loopholes in the new regulations by adding superficial recharging and refilling features, Daily Records reported. It comes ahead of the planned ban on disposable vapes in all four UK nations from April 1, 2025 – following a successful Daily Record campaign to outlaw the polluting gadgets.

Doug Mutter, director of VPZ – who supports the disposables ban – warned the rise of this new breed of disposables risked “setting back all the progress we’ve achieved so far”.

Daily Records quoted Mutter as saying, “We condemn these ‘Big Puffs’ as we strongly believe that they undermine our objectives and are poised to create a public health crisis with unregulated products flooding the marketplace.”

Although batteries in these devices can typically be recharged via a USB port, these larger vapes have a non-replaceable coil like traditional disposables and effectively remain single-use.

Mutter explained this new type of disposable vape is designed in a way to make it appear like both “refillable” and “rechargeable” to technically meet the regulatory specifications.

Users can then “dock” the extra 10ml pod into the device when they first get it, creating a device with six times as much e-liquid as the usual 2ml legal limit for a disposable vape. A USB charging port is typically provided which can extend the life of the battery.

However, it can do nothing once the e-liquid is used up, usually after 5000 to 6000 puffs, at which point the vape is finished.

Mutter said at a recent UK vaping expo that a staggering 95 per cent of companies attending had adopted some form of ‘big puff’ disposable device.

He warned foreign vape companies are “developing unsustainable products that inherit the same environmental and societal problems” of standard disposable vapes and “targeting young people on a similar or bigger scale”.

Mutter said, “Data shows that more than ever there is a need for the UK government to step in to support trading standards and local authorities to keep up with the scale of the ‘Big Puff‘ epidemic.

“At VPZ, we have already taken action to try and stem the environmental issues being caused by disposables and last year launched our pioneering vape recycling service across all stores.

“We strongly believe this innovative service and intervention is vital in responding to an emerging environmental problem whilst educating vapers on the long-term financial benefits of using reusable products.”

“We urge for a better collaboration between the industry and regulatory bodies to address this arising issue promptly and ensure that these vapes do not flood the UK market and endanger the quit-smoking progress that has been achieved so far.

“VPZ fully supports the UK government’s 2025 ban on disposable vapes, yet there must be an increased enforcement of existing regulations coupled with revision of the current standards in order to appropriately address this industry-wide issue.”