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Three quarters of Britons think single-use e-cigarettes should be banned

Three quarters of Britons think single-use e-cigarettes should be banned

2023-03-24

Three-quarters of Britons support a ban on single-use e-cigarettes - brightly coloured versions of which are increasingly turning up on the country's beaches, it emerged today.


The survey was carried out by YouGov on behalf of the Marine Conservation Society, which highlighted the growing number of plastic devices in its annual beach water litter survey.


The charity points out that single-use e-cigarettes are not only made of plastic that takes decades to break down, but also contain copper, lithium and many chemicals that can leach into the environment.


While it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s, the latest NHS figures show that 9% of 11 - to 15-year-olds use them. Last month, England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, described the sale of e-cigarettes to children as shocking.


The Ocean Conservancy is supporting a campaign by Young Ocean Network member Laura Young (@LessWasteLaura) to ban single-use e-cigarettes. They're asking anyone who spots e-cigarettes littering on the beach or inland to share photos on social media, tagging @mcs_uk and @lesswastelaura and using #BanDisposableVapes.


Nine out of 10 items found on UK beaches are made of plastic, according to the Beachwatch 2022 report.


Unfortunately, some of the most common and oldest objects we find on our beaches are made of plastic, said Clare Trotman, an officer with the Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch. That's because it takes a long time to break down, and when it does, it usually breaks down into small pieces of plastic that are harmful to Marine life.


"For the sake of people and the planet, we urge policymakers to work towards a circular economy that focuses on denial, reduction, repair, reuse and recycling."


More than 13,600 volunteers took part in the charity's beach Cleaning and litter survey, which removed 17,772kg of rubbish from UK shores. Items found include wrappers for 54,321 chocolate bars - discontinued in 1989 - and Woolworth's wrappers, saving 4p.


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