10.16 The environmental impact of tobacco use
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Cigarette butts are common litter items. An estimated 60% of Australian smokers do not dispose of their butts in a proper manner when smoking outside.229, 230 Tobacco packages consisting of cardboard, foil and plastic wrappers, and matches, match boxes and lighters also contribute to the volume of smoking related litter in Australia.
According to Keep Australia Beautiful's[38] National Litter Index for 2006-07, cigarette butts are the mostly frequently occurring form of litter, with an average of 35 butts per 1000m2 across national sites surveyed, and cigarette packets are found at an average rate of one per 1000m2.231 Clean Up Australia's[39] annual Rubbish Report 2007232 similarly rates cigarette butts as by far the most common type of litter found in Australia, accounting by their reckoning for 12% of all items collected, compared to broken glass (7%) and chip and confectionery bags (6%). The Butt Littering Trust[40] estimates that about seven billion cigarette butts are littered in Australia every year.229
Discarded cigarette butts have serious effects for the environment. Cigarette filters are made of plastic and are not readily biodegradable, taking from two months to 12 years to break down.229, 230 Chemicals in tobacco remnants in cigarette butts and toxic residue within the filters leach into soil and water, directly polluting these environments and having a measurable effect on wildlife.230, 233 In addition, discarded cigarettes and matches are an important cause of fires in Australia.102 The littering of cigarette butts is illegal in every state and territory.233
Various agencies around Australia have identified butt littering as an important environmental problem and are working to encourage other agencies and the public to address the issue. During 2007 the Federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts announced a 'National day of action on cigarette butt litter' to be promoted through local councils.234 The Victorian Litter Action Alliance[41] has compiled a Litter Prevention Kit and encourages local municipalities to take action on butt litter.230 In 2007, Sustainability Victoria[42] launched a campaign to reduce butt litter timed to coincide with the banning of smoking in licensed premises.235 Through its National Litter Index, Keep Australia Beautiful gives prominence to the butt littering problem. 231
The Butt Littering Trust, an initiative of the tobacco industry also runs programs in partnership with local government and other agencies.229 This is discussed in the following section.
[38] See http://www.kab.org.au/
[39] See http://cleanup.org.au/au/
[40] A tobacco industry funded organisation; see http://www.buttlitteringtrust.org/. The BLT is described in the following section.
[41] An alliance comprising state and local government, industry and the community – see http://www.litter.vic.gov.au/www/html/20-home-page.asp
[42] An organisation within the Government of Victoria. See http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1722-who-we-are.asp
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