‘Cigarette butts account for 766 million kilos of trash yearly’

MANILA, Philippines — Cigarette butts account for more than 766 million kilograms of toxic trash each year and are the most common plastic litter on beaches, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Globally, more than six trillion cigarettes are produced annually, each containing filters or butts that are mainly composed of microplastics known as cellulose acetate fibers, UNEP said.

“Cigarette butts that are not properly disposed of get broken down by factors such as sunlight and moisture, thus releasing microplastics, heavy metals and many other chemicals which impact the ecosystems’ health and services,” it said.

When ingested, the hazardous chemicals in cigarette’s microplastics cause long-term mortality in marine life, including birds, fish, mammals, plants and reptiles.

“These microplastics also enter the food chain and are associated with serious human health impacts, which can include changes to genetics, brain development, respiration rates and more,” UNEP said.

On Wednesday, a new United Nations partnership was announced to raise awareness about the environmental and health impacts of microplastics in cigarette butts, the most discarded waste item worldwide.

UNEP and the Secretariat of the World Health Organization-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are set to launch a social media campaign to highlight the issue.

The partnership is facilitated through UNEP’s Clean Seas campaign, a global coalition comprised of 63 countries devoted to ending marine plastic pollution.

It combines the two agencies’ respective experience on health and policy dimensions of tobacco products, research and advocacy on plastic pollution.

The campaign aims to engage influencers as well as UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassadors and Young Champions of the Earth.

It includes a political advocacy highlighting a recent European Union directive that requires tobacco products with plastic filters be labeled clearly.