Two shops in Rochdale, England, were forced to close after officers discovered illegal tobacco and banned vapes being sold on their premises.

As Talking Retail reported, Trading Standards seized large quantities of illicit cigarettes, rolling tobacco, and single-use vapes from Lazen Food and Hayati Convenience Store. Rochdale Borough Council issued closure orders for both shops in October.

Councillor Tricia Ayrton, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for climate change and environment, said the closures evidenced the Trading Standards team's dedication to removing illegal tobacco from local streets.

"Despite repeated warnings, these businesses continued to operate above the law and sell harmful products to our residents and we will not tolerate this," Ayrton stated, per Talking Retail.

Hayati Convenience Store opened in June 2025 at the same Drake Street address as Polski Sklep, which had been shut down for the same offenses just two weeks earlier.

Investigators later found that several of the same employees were working under the new business name. These repeated violations underscored a wider problem — not only with the illegal trade itself, but also with the products being sold.

Vapes and tobacco pose serious health risks to users, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including damage to the lungs and cognitive development.

Unfortunately, vapes also endanger the environment.

Experts warn that vaping is fueling an environmental crisis as millions of disposable devices end up in landfills each year. According to Material Focus, about 8.2 million vapes are discarded or recycled incorrectly every week in the UK.

Each unit contains plastic, metal, and a sealed lithium-ion battery that's difficult to recycle and can leak hazardous materials if disposed of improperly.

Globally, an estimated 844 million disposable vaping devices are sent to landfills annually, the Public Health Communication Centre reported.

These single-use products not only contribute to plastic and e-waste but also heighten fire and pollution risks as their batteries degrade in the environment.

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As local authorities continue to target the illegal sale of these products, the broader challenge remains clear — curbing both the health risks and the environmental damage linked to disposable vapes and illicit tobacco.

Efforts like Rochdale's crackdown highlight how enforcement and regulation will be crucial in reducing harm to people and the planet. 

For individuals, choosing plastic-free options and ditching single-use products can also make a big difference in cutting down waste.

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