Tobacco companies to be billed for cleaning up cigarette butts in Spain

Tobacco companies are to be forced to foot the bill for cleaning up the millions of cigarette ends that smokers discard every year under new environmental regulations in Spain.

The ruling, which comes into force this Friday, is part of a package of measures designed to reduce waste and increase recycling. It includes a ban on single-use plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, expanded polystyrene cups and plastic straws, as well as cutting back on plastic food packaging.

The law conforms to a European Union directive limiting the use of single-use plastics and which aims to oblige polluters to clean up the mess they create.

Cigarette manufacturers will also be responsible for educating the public not to discard their butts in the public space but it remains unclear how the clean-up will be implemented or what it will cost.

One Catalan study put the cost at between €12-€21 per citizen per annum, a total of up to €1bn (£882,000).

Earlier this year, the Catalan government proposed introducing a scheme whereby cigarette butts could be redeemed for €0.20 each, which would add €4 to the current average price of €5 for a pack of 20. The scheme has not yet been introduced.

It is assumed that the tobacco companies will pass on the cost to the consumer, providing one more incentive to quit the habit. According to last year’s government statistics, about 22% of Spaniards smoke (16.4% of women and 23.3% of men) compared with an EU average of 18.4%.

Nevertheless, despite the large number of smokers, especially among young people, popular opinion favours increased restrictions on smoking in public places. A survey by the family medicine association found that 85% favour further restrictions, with 72% backing a ban on smoking on the terraces of bars and restaurants.

Cigarette ends are one of the most ubiquitous forms of litter and take about 10 years to decompose, in the process emitting toxic substances such as arsenic and lead.

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According to the Ocean Conservancy NGO, cigarette butts are the most common form of marine pollution, more even than plastic bags and bottles, with an estimated 5bn discarded in the ocean.

In the interests of public health and to reduce the number of butts finding their way into the sea, about 500 Spanish beaches have been declared smoke-free.

Last year, Barcelona outlawed smoking in all the city’s 10 beaches.