Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is preparing a ban on disposable e-cigarettes. The SPD politician said after a meeting with the environment ministers of the federal states in Leipzig that he would present a corresponding law this year. The disposable devices should then no longer be allowed to be sold in Germany.
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Schneider justified the proposed ban with the risk of fires posed by disposable e-cigarettes. Users often simply dispose of them with household waste or the yellow bag – and then lead to fires in waste disposal facilities. They are a danger to the life and limb of employees and also a danger to Germany as a recycling location. How often the devices are actually responsible for fires is still being “quantified”.
Waste management representatives complain about a massive increase in such fires since last year. In a plant in the Segeberg district, “there are fires every day, caused by mechanical damage to lithium batteries that trigger small fires,” a spokesman for the Dithmarschen Waste Management (AWD) told the German Press Agency in November. Representatives of other companies also reported similar conditions to the dpa. The Bundestag’s Environment Committee estimates the total financial damage caused by the fires to be in the high three-digit million range. From the perspective of the Federal Association of German Waste Management, Water and Circulation Management (BDE) and leading companies in the circular economy, the problem can only be solved through clear legal regulations.
The Federal Council had already spoken out in favor of a ban on disposable e-cigarettes in the past. Refillable devices should not be affected by the ban. The federal government had agreed to introduce a ban – Schneider now made it clear that it should come soon. The ban was announced by the federal government in November. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Environment Ministry, said that in her opinion such a law would have to be approved by the EU Commission.
Sales increased significantly in 2025
The so-called e-cigarettes produce vapor that is inhaled and, in some varieties, tastes like fruit or menthol. The vapor contains significantly fewer harmful substances than the smoke from tobacco cigarettes, but doctors still warn about the health risks and the addictive effects of nicotine.
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In 2025, legal sales in Germany are estimated to have increased by a quarter to 2.4 billion euros, according to industry figures. From July onwards, consumers in Germany will be able to return e-cigarettes wherever they are sold. In addition to disposable devices, there are also models in which the battery can be recharged and the vapor-producing agent (“liquid”) can be refilled.
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