A local volunteer street sweeper, Keith Graham, said “you find loads” that have just been “thrown on the floor” when asked if he comes across many vapes whilst cleaning.
He also stated that he finds them often on the floors of pubs as well.
Littering is already a problem in the UK with 30 million tonnes of litter collected every year.
A quick walk around Leeds and multiple disposable vapes can be seen on the pavements and on the ground in Hyde Park.
Vaping products are constantly on the rise each year but recently the plastic disposable vapes called Geek Bars have become popular among young people.
Geek Bars are a type of disposable vape which come pre-filled with 20mg of nicotine, the legal UK limit, which makes them simpler and quicker to use.
One Geek Bar is equivalent to 40 cigarettes in nicotine.
Geek Bars have skyrocketed in popularity among young through social media platform TikTok where they have become a sensation due to their wide range of flavours and colourful plastic pods.
The appeal of Geek Bars is understandable as they only cost £5 compared to their ‘old-fashioned’ counter parts which cost between £20-30 and come with the added complication of needing to be refilled.
Leo Brown, a vape employee and enthusiast said “it won’t be long until they’re banned” due to the dangers they possess, whilst a rival vape shop owner was keen to sell them as they are in high demand.
When asked about them being littered around the city, he did not comment.
