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THE IM PACT OF TOBACCO

ON TH E EN VIRONMEN T

LEGAC'lFOR LONGER HEALTHIER LIVE

Cigarettes as Litter

• In 2007, 360 billion cigarettes were consum ed in the United States [U .S.].1 C igarette

butts, the plastic filter and remnants of smoked cigarettes, are discarded in natural

environments, streets, sidewalks, and other public areas. Some of these butts m ay then

be carried as runoff to drains, m aking their way to rivers and ultimately to oceans and

beaches."

o C igarette filters are m ade from cellulose acetate, a plastic which is technically

biodegradable. H ow ever, cigarette butts only biodegrade under conditions

described by researchers as "severe biological circum stances" such as when

filters end up in sewage. Even in these conditions, cellulose acetate filters areslow to disappear w ith the m ost optim istic estim ate at 9 rnonths.> '

o In practice, cigarette butts tossed on streets and beaches do not biodegrade.

The sun may break down littered butts, bu t only into sm aller pieces of waste

which become diluted in water or soil.2,5,6

On Land

• M ultiple litter studies show that when counting litter on a per-item basis, cigarettes and

cigarette butts are the num ber one littered item on U .S . roadways.'

o Keep America Beautiful reports that in 2009, tobacco products -

primarily cigarette butts-comprised nearly 38% of all collected litter item s

from roadw ays and streets.'

• Keep America Beautiful also found that cigarette butts were the most common litter item

collected at five of six non-roadw ay sites, including: retail areas, storm drains, loading

docks, construction sites, and recreational areas." C igarette w aste is h ighly co ncen trated

around businesses where cigarettes are sold and consumed."

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Along Beaches and Waterways

• Data from the Ocean Conservancy show that in 2010, nearly two m illion [1,892,5261

cigarettes or cigarette filters-enough to fill 94,626 packs of cigarettes-were removed

internationally from beaches and inland waterways as part of the annual International

C oastal C leanup [lC CI, including 1,181,589 collected from the U.S: This represents 19%

and 31% of total debris items collected worldwide and in theU.S.,

respectively, m aking itby far the most prevalent item found."

o In addition to cigarettes and cigarette filters, 16,257 cigarette lighters,

73,155 cigar tips, and 36,592 tobacco packages or wrappers were removed

from U.S. waterways during the ICC in 2010.9

• In the past 25 years, 52,907,756 cigarette butts/filters have been collected from

international beaches, accounting for 32% of all debris collected. The num ber of cigarette

butts and filters collected was over three times more than that of any other item .'

During the 2010 ICC, 245,447 volunteer s participated in the United States - the most volunteers of any country in the cleanup, representing 40%

of all those who volunteered globally. The United States was also the country with the greatest number of cleanup sites - 3,004 -- which was more

than 3 times as many as the country with the second highest number of cleanup sites [Canada with 990 sites).

Cigarettes as Toxic Waste

• C igarettes are poisonous when ingested by children and other living organisms, as

evidenced by poison control center data, veterinary literature, and national reports.":"

o In 2009, the American Association of Poison Control Centers received

7,493 reports of potentially toxic exposures to tobacco products am ong children

younger than six years of age in the U.S.14M ost cases of nicotine poisoning am ong

these children resulted from their ingestion of cigarettes or chew ing tobacco.

o Between 2002 and 2007, over 2,000 non-fatal, unintentional cigarette-related

injuries to children aged four years and under occurred per year in the U.S.;

29% of these involved poisoninqs."

o One to five cigarettes, or 20 to 100 mg of nicotine, is the m inimum lethal dose

reported in dogs and cats. Ingestion of tobacco products is more common in

young anim als [e.g., puppies], but the overall likelihood of toxicosis is rare in

household pets."

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• Few studies have examined the toxicity of cigarette butts to aquatic ecosystems.

Preliminary studies show, however, that the chemicals that seep out of cigarette butts can

be acutely toxic to fish and micro-organisms, and the main causes of toxicity are organic

compounds [nicotine and ethylphenol] in the cigarette buttS.15-17

o One cigarette butt soaked in a liter of water killed half of the fish exposed in

a study in a laboratory settinq."

o Another study conducted in a laboratory identified and quantified components

leached from cigarette butts and found that cigarette butts can be a point source

for heavy metal contamination in water for at least a month."

Attitudes About Littering Cigarette Butts

• Tobacco industry research reveals that smokers litter their cigarette butts for many

reasons, such as the unavailability of ashtrays, the ubiquitous and seemingly acceptable

behavior of flicking butts on the ground, and false notions that cigarette filters are

biodegradable or inconsequential as litter." In an Australian study from 2000, in which

people were observed littering and later interviewed, litterers cited the following reasons

for their behavior: laziness [24%1. no ashtray [23%1. no trash receptacle nearby [21%1. and

habit [6%].20

• A review of industry documents found that tobacco companies have feared being held

responsible for tobacco litter for more than 20 years. Tobacco company research suggests

that biodegradable filters would not be marketable and would encourage litter.

The tobacco industry also concluded that smokers were defensive about tossing their

cigarette butts and were not amenable to anti-litter carnpaiqns."

Other Environmental Impacts

Environmental consequences of tobacco use include:

• Deforestation as a result of tobacco production: wood is used in the farm-based process

of curing the crop [drying the leaves]."

• Fires caused by cigarette smokinq."

• Solid, liquid, and airborne wastes produced during the manufacturing process.

o Some of these waste products are designated by the Environmental Protection

Agency as Toxic Release Inventory [TRI] chemicals, meaning they are considered

hazardous."

o In 2009, 574,460 pounds of toxic chemicals were released by tobacco product

manufacturing facilities in the United States. The top five chemicals released were

ammonia, nicotine, hydrochloric acid, nitrate compounds, and chlorine."

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Solutions

• G rowing concern over the impact of tobacco product waste on the environment as well as

the substantial cost of litter cleanup has prompted states, municipalities, and institutions

to undertake a variety of policy actions.'

o As of April 1, 2 011, 105 municipalities across the country prohibit smoking ontheir beaches, while 507 municipalities prohibit smoking in their parks.25,26

o An economic study based on a litter audit in San Francisco, which found the

annual tobacco litter cleanup cost to be more than $5.6 m illion, led their City

Council in 2009 to impose a 20 cent per pack "litter fee" on cigarettes sold in

th e city."

o Under California state law, a person who provides information leading to the

arrest and conviction of a person for littering cigarette butts is entitled to a

reward for providing the inform ation [50% of collected fine]." A 'hot line' has

also been established to facilitate reporting of violations directly by the public tothe C alifornia H ighw ay Patrol 118771-211-BUT TJ.29

o Although colleges and universities have recently enacted smoking bans primarily

to promote healthy behaviors, they are also concerned about the environmental

impact of cigarette litter and the financial costs to clean up butts on their

campuses. There are currently 500 smoke free college campuses acrossth e U .S .3 0,3 1

• Members of organizations advocating against cigarette butt pollution, such as the

C igarette B utt Pollution Project lwww.ciqwaste.orql" in the U.S. and Australia's Butt

Littering Trust." endorse diverse approaches in order to prevent, m itigate, and reduce

cigarette butt waste in the environment, including:

o Enforcing current litter laws and implementing fines for discarding butts intothe environm ent. 2,28,29,33

o Further research on the toxicity of cigarette butt waste in natural settinqs."

o Education and awareness programs promoting behavior chanqe."

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