Vapes: Welsh festivals asked to ban single-use vapes by charity

Festivals and events in Wales should ban single-use vapes, an environmental charity has said.

This comes after local authorities in England and Wales called for them to be banned altogether by 2024.

Keep Wales Tidy said discarded vapes had caused "a problem that has grown exponentially over the last few years".

The Welsh government is trying to find ways to make vape recycling easier. Ash Wales is worried such a ban would derail those trying to quit smoking.

Chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy Owen Derbyshire: "One thing I'd really welcome is if organisations and festivals consider banning single-use vapes."

A survey by the charity found single-use vapes on 6% of Swansea's streets last year and on 20% of Cardiff's streets this year.

"We an organisation are not against vaping, the problem we have is because of the hard plastic and batteries within vapes we see the direct impact on our environment, our wildlife and the biodiversity of Wales."

Last month Glastonbury Festival added single-use vapes to its list of things not to bring to this year's festival.

In Wales the Green Man Festival and the National Eisteddfod are reviewing their banned list ahead of this year's events.

As part of its wider green policy the Royal Welsh Show will ban single-use plastics for the first time when it starts next week on Monday, 24 July.

Chief executive of the Royal Welsh Show, Aled Rhys Jones, said: "We are in the process of developing a new policy encouraging our stallholders and caterers to cut plastic use and use packaging that is easy to compost and recycle.

"The ambition is to make sure our environmental impact is neutral and that means people have to come with us on that journey."

As part of the new policy all electricity at the show comes from renewable sources.

The agricultural society has also commissioned Cardiff University to carry out an environmental review following the event.

According to one charity that helps people quit smoking in Wales the benefits of single-use vapes needs to be considered. 

Suzanne Cass, chief executive of Ash Wales - a campaign to make Wales smoke-free - said: "We totally understand the concerns about the environmental impact of these products.

"But our concern is the unintended consequences of any kind of ban on these disposable products would have on the people who are trying to quit smoking.

"We know that vaping is the number one sensation tool for people who want to quit smoking."

She has called for recycling points at such gatherings instead so they could be disposed of safely.

The Welsh government said: "We are reviewing the Extended Producer Responsibility requirements on a UK level in regards to waste electronics including vapes.

"We will be look at ways of increasing collection of small waste electrical equipment from households and businesses to make it easier for people to recycle these items."