Time to kick the butt of the most common litter item in the world: Ban cigarette filters

Dannielle S. Green; Bethanie Carney Almroth; Rebecca Altman; Melanie Bergmann; Sedat Gündoğdu; Anish Kumar Warrier; Bas Boots; Tony R. Walker; Anja Krieger; Kristian Syberg

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161256

Time to kick the butt of the most common litter item in the world: Ban cigarette filters

Dannielle S. Green, Bethanie Carney Almroth, Rebecca Altman, Melanie Bergmann, Sedat Gündoğdu, Anish Kumar Warrier, Bas Boots, Tony R. Walker, Anja Krieger, Kristian Syberg

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cigarette filters offer no public health benefits, are single-use plastics (cellulose acetate) and are routinely littered. Filters account for a significant proportion of plastic litter worldwide, requiring considerable public funds to remove, and are a source of microplastics. Used cigarette filters can leech toxic chemicals and pose an ecological risk to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bottom-up measures, such as focusing on consumer behaviour, are ineffective and we need to impose top-down solutions (i.e., bans) if we are to reduce the prevalence of this number one litter item. Banning filters offers numerous ecological, socioeconomic, and public health benefits.

Original language	English
Article number	161256
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	865
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161256
Publication status	Published - 20-03-2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161256

Cite this

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title = "Time to kick the butt of the most common litter item in the world: Ban cigarette filters",

abstract = "Cigarette filters offer no public health benefits, are single-use plastics (cellulose acetate) and are routinely littered. Filters account for a significant proportion of plastic litter worldwide, requiring considerable public funds to remove, and are a source of microplastics. Used cigarette filters can leech toxic chemicals and pose an ecological risk to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bottom-up measures, such as focusing on consumer behaviour, are ineffective and we need to impose top-down solutions (i.e., bans) if we are to reduce the prevalence of this number one litter item. Banning filters offers numerous ecological, socioeconomic, and public health benefits.",

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T2 - Ban cigarette filters

AU - Green, Dannielle S.

AU - Almroth, Bethanie Carney

AU - Altman, Rebecca

AU - Bergmann, Melanie

AU - Gündoğdu, Sedat

AU - Warrier, Anish Kumar

AU - Boots, Bas

AU - Walker, Tony R.

AU - Krieger, Anja

AU - Syberg, Kristian

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N2 - Cigarette filters offer no public health benefits, are single-use plastics (cellulose acetate) and are routinely littered. Filters account for a significant proportion of plastic litter worldwide, requiring considerable public funds to remove, and are a source of microplastics. Used cigarette filters can leech toxic chemicals and pose an ecological risk to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bottom-up measures, such as focusing on consumer behaviour, are ineffective and we need to impose top-down solutions (i.e., bans) if we are to reduce the prevalence of this number one litter item. Banning filters offers numerous ecological, socioeconomic, and public health benefits.

AB - Cigarette filters offer no public health benefits, are single-use plastics (cellulose acetate) and are routinely littered. Filters account for a significant proportion of plastic litter worldwide, requiring considerable public funds to remove, and are a source of microplastics. Used cigarette filters can leech toxic chemicals and pose an ecological risk to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Bottom-up measures, such as focusing on consumer behaviour, are ineffective and we need to impose top-down solutions (i.e., bans) if we are to reduce the prevalence of this number one litter item. Banning filters offers numerous ecological, socioeconomic, and public health benefits.

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Time to kick the butt of the most common litter item in the world: Ban cigarette filters

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

UN SDGs

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