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Tag: Litter

  • UN to Raise Awareness of Microplastics Impact

    UN to Raise Awareness of Microplastics Impact

    Photo: miklyxa

    The UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) will launch a social media campaign to raise awareness about the environmental and health impacts of microplastics in cigarette butts, the United Nations reports on its website.

    Cigarettes are the most discarded waste item worldwide. Globally, more than 6 trillion cigarettes are produced annually, each containing filters, or butts, that are mainly composed of microplastics known as cellulose acetate fibers.

    However, 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, according to the UN.

    Cigarette butts account for more than 766 million kilograms of toxic trash each year. They are also the most common plastic litter on beaches, making marine ecosystems more susceptible to microplastic leakages.

    When ingested, the hazardous chemicals in 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.

    The social media campaign will aim to engage influencers, as well as UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassadors and Young Champions of the Earth.

    It will also include a political advocacy angle by highlighting a recent European Union directive that requires all tobacco products with plastic filters to be labelled clearly. The goal is to encourage the public to advocate for similar changes globally.

    “The Secretariat of the WHO FCTC has the technical expertise of the impact of tobacco products on not just human health but also on environment,” said Atif Butt, UNEP’s chief of public advocacy. 

    “By joining UNEP’s and the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC’s expertise together under the Clean Seas activation on microplastics, we aim to highlight how our health is intrinsically linked to that of our planet.”

  • Crows Trained to Pick up Cigarette Butts

    Crows Trained to Pick up Cigarette Butts

    Photo: Eric Isselée

    A Swedish company is deploying crows to pick up discarded cigarette butts from the streets and squares of a town near Stockholm as part of a cost-cutting drive, reports The Guardian.

    The wild birds receive a little food for every butt that they deposit in a customized machine.

    Christian Günther-Hanssen, the founder of Corvid Cleaning, the company behind the method, estimates that his method could save at least 75 percent of the costs associated with picking up cigarette butts in the city.

    More than 1 billion cigarette butts are left on Sweden’s streets each year, representing 62 percent of all litter, according to The Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation says that. Södertälje spends SEK 20 million ($2.19 million) on street cleaning.

    Södertälje is carrying out a pilot project before potentially rolling out the operation across the city, with the health of the birds being the key consideration given the type of waste involved.

    New Caledonian crows, a member of the corvid family of birds, are as good at reasoning as a human seven-year-old, research has suggested, making them the smartest birds for the job.

    “They are easier to teach and there is also a higher chance of them learning from each other,” said Günther-Hanssen. “At the same time, there’s a lower risk of them mistakenly eating any rubbish.

    Tomas Thernström, a waste strategist at Södertälje municipality, said the potential of the pilot depended on financing.

    “It would be interesting to see if this could work in other environments as well. Also from the perspective that we can teach crows to pick up cigarette butts, but we can’t teach people not to throw them on the ground. That’s an interesting thought,” he said.

  • California Pushes to Ban Single-Use Filters

    California Pushes to Ban Single-Use Filters

    Photo: lienkie

    California lawmakers want to ban single-use cigarette filters, e-cigarettes and vape products in the state with the aim of benefiting the environment and public health, according to a story in The Los Angeles Times.

    Assembly Bill 1690 would authorize local prosecutors to levy a fine of $500 per violation, defined as the sale of one to 20 items.

    Supporters of the bill say cigarette filters offer no health benefits but cost the state millions of dollars to clean up and release toxic microplastics into the environment.

    Roughly 12 billion cigarettes are sold in California each year, 90 percent of which are filtered, according to San Diego State epidemiology and biostatistics professor Thomas Novotny.

    Nicholas Mallos, senior director of the Trash Free Seas Program at the Ocean Conservancy, said that in 2020 cigarette butts made up nearly 30 percent of the trash collected by volunteers on Coastal Cleanup Day. The city of Los Angeles alone incurs an estimated $19 million a year in cigarette filter clean-up costs. Public agencies statewide spend about $41 million a year.

    The bill also targets vape products, which contain batteries and fluids that damage the environment. Reusable and rechargeable vape products would still be available under AB 1690.

    Similar bills previously proposed have been unsuccessful due to “tobacco money,” according to proponents of the legislation. Assemblymember Mark Stone believes this time will be different due to a “growing awareness” of the issues and a “stronger coalition” of supporters.

    The bill does not include a target date for when the ban would take effect.