Tory councillors have been slammed for blocking calls for a disposable e-cigs ban in a town swamped by a tsunami of plastic vape litter.
East Renfrewshire became the first Scottish council to actively reject a ban on the disposable gadgets after local Conservatives torpedoed the move.
Campaigners reacted with anger to the “extremely disappointing” decision amid the Daily Record’s campaign to clamp down on the polluting, throwaway devices which have turned our public spaces into a dumping ground.
Independent councillor David Macdonald proposed the motion in support of a ban at a full council meeting this week.
He revealed how in his hometown of Clarkston he had found 23 vapes on the street during one 400-metre walk near his house.
But despite his motion being backed by the local SNP group, it was defeated by nine votes to seven, as a Conservative amendment received the backing of Labour councillors.
Cllr Macdonald had hoped East Renfrewshire would join the nine other local authorities which have so far backed a ban and written to Scottish ministers.
He told how he had been asked for the council’s support by activist Laura Young - dubbed the “vape crusader” - who is from Newton Mearns.
Reacting to the vote, campaigner Ms Young said she was “extremely disappointed that my home council East Renfrewshire council is first to reject the motion to support a ban on disposable vapes”.
The 26-year-old activist added: "East Renfrewshire has clearly highlighted itself as the outlier, showcasing a dysfunctional group that has let down a Scotland-wide effort to solve this problem."
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay hit out: “This is a dereliction of duty from Tory and Labour councillors. While vaping is less harmful than smoking it is by no means safe for the environment or the growing number of young people taking it up.
“Over 1.3million disposable vapes, including lithium batteries, are thrown away in the UK every week. They litter our streets, rivers and parks, doing untold damage to the environment. Safer, more sustainable, reusable options are readily available."
Strathclyde Uni sustainable energy expert Prof Matt Hannon, who lives in the area, blasted: “It is tiring how regressive our councillors are versus other councils.”
The Tories argued that vapes are “preventing deaths” by moving people away from smoking cigarettes and instead called for better enforcement measures to “prevent littering”.
Cllr Macdonald said he was “embarrassed and ashamed of what I’m witnessing”, adding: “I thought this was the most apolitical motion I could bring to this chamber.
“We are not calling for a ban on vapes, we recognise their use as a means to quitting smoking. This is purely about the waste aspect of these disposable vapes.”
One Tory councillor blundered by comparing damaging disposable vapes - which contain single-use plastic, copper, aluminium, lithium and other hazardous materials - to chocolate wrappers.
As well as posing a risk to kids and wildlife, the items can spark fires when moved to landfill because of the valuable lithium batteries inside.
Paul Edlin of the Conservatives said: “We don’t ban chocolate because the wrappings cause damage to the environment.
“Banning is a draconian measure reserved for products that seriously damage health, not because they can’t be disposed of.”
An incredulous Cllr Macdonald replied: “When you destroy a chocolate wrapper, it doesn’t explode.
“It doesn’t create dangerous or sharp objects in the middle of the street that children will pick up.”
After the meeting, Cllr Macdonald posted on social media: “Last night I presented my motion to full council hoping that in the spirit of collaboration all councillors would support it as all of their party colleagues have in other councils.
“I was wrong. Because something is wrong within our chamber. Some of our councillors don't want to collaborate on anything just because they want to chest-beat like primates and win a vote.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
