What is the extent of the problem?
UNEP, the United Nations Environmental Programme, has calculated that worldwide this involves some 4.5 trillion (4,500 billion!) cigarette butts which end up in the environment annually.
Of all the various types of litter, cigarette butts are the most common. Research shows that butts make up 41% of the litter in the Netherlands. That is around 10 billion cigarette butts a year, which is the equivalent of 10,000 tons of rubbish.
7.2 billion cigarette butts are thrown away in Australia every year. Cigarette butts make up 58% of all the litter found in Australia.
Every day 200 million cigarette butts are dropped on the street in the United Kingdom. ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ has estimated that 122 tons of smoking-related litter is deposited in the United Kingdom every day. That is 2 grams of butts (and related rubbish) per inhabitant per day.
When the smoking ban was introduced in government buildings in Ireland, the Irish ‘Business Against Litter’ organisation estimated that 200 million additional cigarette butts would end up on the street as a direct consequence of the smoking ban. A study in Dublin has revealed that the number of cigarette butts dropped on the street has risen by 20% since the Irish smoking ban in pubs, cafes and restaurants took effect. Inhabitants of many cities in countries where the smoking ban has been introduced have noticed an immediate and visible rise in the number of cigarette butts on the street. |
