Cigarette butts in public spaces : an alarming observation
We would like to draw your attention to the phenomenon of pollution due to the throwing of cigarette butts in public places.
It should be remembered that the cigarette butt is classified as the world’s number one pollutant. Thousands of tons of this toxic waste are accumulating. It causes many problems: massive pollution of our waters, the recycling costs of this water, and devastating fires in our forests.
To give you an order of magnitude, in Paris , 350 tons of cigarette butts are thrown away every year, which rush into our sewers. It is obvious that this generates a cost for communities, estimated at several hundred million euros: a real waste, which is inevitably borne by taxpayers.
At a time when topics related to ecology, pollution and employment are the focus of political concerns, and according to articles 1-2-6-8 and 9 of the Environmental Charter, we want to make our contribution to safeguarding our energy heritage and the economic intelligence of our country.
News: Poison in tap water - France 3 broadcast of Friday March 2, 2012
Poll: Are you satisfied with the cleanliness of your city?
"Les Parisiens ne sont pas civilisés" (21/05/2020)
Issue date: 2020-03-24
Cigarette butts, a neglected form of pollution
Report from Friday 6 March 2020 at 2pm on France24 :
"This is one of the rare waste we still see very often on the ground. Today, more than 75% of cigarettes purchased do not end up in a trash can. But how do they pollute and at which rate? We are still far from knowing everything."
