Tackling vaping among young people has become a focus for government with schools and colleges ending up on the frontline of vape detection. In recent years they have dealt with a public health issue that has led to anti-social behaviour and disruption to learning among their students.
The government is likely to use its powers soon, under the Tobacco and Vapes Act, to extend smoke-free places to also being vape-free. Additionally, at this point certain outdoor spaces, including outside schools, will become vape and smoke free.
These measures, once enacted, could help schools tackling vaping by changing the culture and education around the habit. This law follows a ban on disposable vapes last year which some had suggested had driven the increase in vaping among young people in recent years.
Figure from public health charity ASH, Among 11-17 year olds the percentage who had tried vaping plateaued at 20% (an estimated 1.1 million children) between 2023 and 2025. Those regularly vaping was at 4% in 2025 (230,000 children), after rising from 1% in 2021 to 4% in 2023. Those currently vaping in 2025 was at 7%, (400,000 children) following a doubling from 3% in 2021 to 7% in 2022.
Before the disposable vape ban research in 2023 from the non-profit organisation, Material Focus, which aims to stop people throwing away or hoarding all their old small electricals, found that younger vapers were more likely to throw away their disposable vapes irresponsibly, admitting they did this to hide their habit from others. The study found that 31% of 16-18 year old vapers tended to throw away, drop or even flushed their vapes down the toilet because they did not want the people, they live with to know they vape – compared to 8% of the population.
The research also found that 3% of UK vapers said they drop single-use vapes on the ground compared to 8% of 16–18-year-olds and 33% of this age group that vape said they threw single-use devices away in the bin at their place of education or work.
Having spoken to many schools that are tackling vaping among young people their efforts to conceal their vapes are also causing health and safety concerns. For example, there are schools that have had their hygiene contracts cancelled due to vapes being found in sanitary bins causing a risk of fire when the contents are crushed.
The risk of fires was also identified by the government. A report by the Environmental Services Association published in September 2025 reported that there “more than 1,200 battery related fires occurred in refuse vehicles or waste facilities over a 12-month period between 2023/24 a 71% increase year on year.
The ESA stated that battery fires cost the UK an estimated billion pounds each year and threatened not just vital infrastructure but the lives of essential frontline workers too. It said that the current collection infrastructure for batteries and waste electrical devices (WEEE) containing batteries was inadequate.
Since the disposable vapes ban, reports of fires at waste processing plants have continued. While vapes are not the other cause of battery fires, recent research found many users are continuing to dispose of them in their normal recycle or waste bins rather than as electrical waste. Material Focus stated in March that the number of vapes thrown away or recycled incorrectly was at around 6.3 million vapes despite the single-use vape sales ban, although there was a reduction of 23% compared to last year.
The research from Material World found that 47% of vapers reported they did not know that they could recycle their vapes and 80% of vapers said there wasn’t enough information on how to recycle.
Scott Butler, Executive Director, Material Focus said: “It should be as easy to recycle a vape as it is to buy one. We want more vapers demanding that the places where they buy them also provide recycling points. It is a long-standing legal obligation for all of the stores who are profiting from selling them must offer safe recycling drop-off points and cover the costs of doing that. Vape producers and importers should then cover the costs of recycling.”
Meanwhile, unscrupulous retailers that sell illicit vapes, and illegally sell vapes to those under 18, are also to be targeted in a multi-agency crackdown led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which will also lead to more police officers in hotspot regions, that includes the West Midlands. This push is focused on the growing number of crime gangs operating across Britain’s high streets in the form of rogue barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops.
Out of a total funding pot of £30 million, £20 million is going towards law enforcement while Trading Standards will receive £6 million in new funding to bolster the response to sham businesses in at-risk local authorities.
A new High Street Organised Crime Unit has also been established to bring together government departments, policing partners, and Trading Standards. This work builds on strong enforcement action such as Operation Machinize, that has been running for the past 18 months and resulted in co-ordinated raids on retailers.
Despite the government action that could help deter young people schools continue to find tackling vaping is a challenge that has wider impacts. This includes interrupting lessons by asking to go to the toilets and anti-social behaviour once there.
We offer the Halo Smart Sensor which, as our case studies show, has been effective in tackling vaping within schools. Deputy Head Teacher at St Joseph’s College, Charlotte Slattery, said installing the smart sensors “has been transformational for us.”
She added: “Being able to identify students who are vaping has also allowed us to have much more meaningful conversations with our young people about the dangers of vaping and garner support from parents. This is helping us to have open dialogue with students that we hope will become more of a proactive message, in time, rather than a reactive one.”
In our experience, schools have also benefited from the additional features of the smart sensor such as responding to calls for help, a tamper alert so staff are made aware if students are attempting to damage the device and a feature that notifies the school if there is an unusual level of noise. If you manage a school, and you are finding tackling vaping among pupils a challenge, then we would be delighted to support you. Get in touch to find out more about how the Halo Smart Sensor can help.