Tobacco companies may have to
pay for the litter created by cigarettes under plans being
explored by ministers to protect the environment and save local
councils money.
The move comes after fresh evidence reveals
that cleaning up littered cigarette butts currently costs UK
local authorities around £40 million per year. Despite smoking
rates being at their lowest recorded level, cigarette filters
continue to be the most commonly littered item in England.
Among the options being looked at by Ministers
is a regulatory extended producer responsibility scheme for
cigarette butts in England, a new power currently being
legislated for in the Environment Bill. This would require the
tobacco industry to pay the full disposal costs of tobacco waste
products, ensuring the sector takes sufficient financial
responsibility for the litter its products create.
Environment Minister said:
“Cigarette butts are a blight on our
communities, littering our streets or ending up washed down the
drain and polluting our rivers and oceans.
“We must all take action to protect our
environment. We are committed to making sure that the tobacco
industry plays its part. That is why we are exploring how
cigarette companies can be held fully accountable for the
unsightly scourge of litter created by their products.”
Public Health Minister said:
“We are making excellent progress in our
ambition to be a smoke-free country by 2030, with smoking rates
at a record low.
“While this is making a substantial impact on the public health
of the country, the environmental impact of smoking due to
cigarette butt and package littering is still a major
issue.
“We will continue to look into further ways we can reduce the
burden tobacco has on our health and our streets, both through
the tobacco control plan, due to be published later this year,
and the Environment Bill.
“The best action anyone can take is to quit and to help you do
that there is plenty of support and advice available.”
According to Keep Britain Tidy research,
smoking related litter is the most prevalent form of litter in
England, making up 68% of all littered items and found on around
80% of surveyed sites.
The vast majority of cigarette butts are
single-use plastic and contain hundreds of toxic chemicals once
smoked. Littered cigarette filters can persist in the environment
for many years and release these chemicals to air, land and
water, harming plant growth and wildlife.
As set out in the Litter
Strategy for England, the most effective way to
tackle smoking related litter is by reducing the prevalence of
smoking in the first place. The Government is committed to
addressing the harms from smoking and will publish a new tobacco
control plan for England later this year to deliver its ambition
of a smoke-free country by 2030.
The Environment Bill will allow us to
legislate for extended producer responsibility schemes, which
could be applied to tobacco products. Cigarette and tobacco
product packaging is already covered by the proposed packaging producer responsibility
scheme, which is currently undergoing a second
phase of consultation.
At the September roundtable on Smoking Related
Litter, Minister Pow encouraged parties to
consider whether a non-regulatory producer responsibility scheme
could be developed for tobacco waste products. Having considered
further evidence, the Government has decided that a regulatory
approach may be required to ensure that the industry takes
sufficient financial responsibility for the litter created by its
products and to prevent them from undermining public health
policy.
Further research will be undertaken to
consider the next steps to tackle smoking-related litter. The
Government will continue to work closely with charities, tobacco
product manufacturers and associated trade bodies to address the
issue.
