Key Takeaways
- German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said he will present a disposable e-cigarette ban bill this year.
- The proposed ban would stop disposable e-cigarettes from being sold in Germany.
- Schneider said disposable vapes thrown into household waste or yellow bags can cause fires in waste disposal facilities.
- Refillable devices are not expected to be covered by the proposed ban.
- Industry data estimated that legal e-cigarette sales in Germany rose by about one quarter in 2025 to €2.4 billion, or about $2.82 billion.
2Firsts, May 9，2026
According to n-tv, German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is preparing legislation to ban disposable e-cigarettes. He said after a meeting with state environment ministers in Leipzig that he will present a corresponding law this year.
Germany plans to ban disposable e-cigarette sales
Schneider said disposable e-cigarettes should no longer be allowed to be sold in Germany.
The Bundesrat had already previously supported a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, and the federal government had agreed to move forward with a ban. Schneider has now made clear that it should come soon.
The report said refillable devices would not be affected by the ban.
Environment minister cited fire risks
Schneider justified the proposed ban by citing fire risks from disposable vapes. He said users often dispose of them through household waste or yellow bags, where they then lead to fires in waste disposal facilities.
Schneider said the products pose a danger to the life and health of employees and also a risk to Germany as a recycling location. The report said the actual frequency with which the devices are responsible for fires is still being quantified.
Disposable devices cannot be refilled or recharged
The report said e-cigarettes generate vapor that is inhaled and may taste like fruit or menthol. It said the vapor contains significantly fewer harmful substances than tobacco cigarette smoke, but doctors still warn of health risks and the addictive effects of nicotine.
Disposable devices last for several hundred or at most about 1,000 puffs, after which they are empty and must be thrown away. The small tank containing the liquid cannot be refilled, and the built-in battery cannot be recharged.
German legal e-cigarette sales reached about €2.4 billion in 2025
According to industry data, legal e-cigarette sales in Germany were estimated to have risen by about one quarter in 2025 to €2.4 billion.
The report said that from July, consumers in Germany will be able to return e-cigarettes wherever they are sold.
Image source: n-tv
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