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^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

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

35 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

UN SDGs

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

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 15 Life on Land

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

Access to Document

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.",

author = "Green, \{Dannielle S.\} and Almroth, \{Bethanie Carney\} and Rebecca Altman and Melanie Bergmann and Sedat G{\"u}ndoğdu and Warrier, \{Anish Kumar\} and Bas Boots and Walker, \{Tony R.\} and Anja Krieger and Kristian Syberg",

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year = "2023",

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doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161256",

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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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JO - Science of the Total Environment

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ER -

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

Abstract

UN SDGs

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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