title: Extended Producer Responsibility and Product Stewardship for Tobacco Product Waste.
abstract: This paper reviews several environmental principles, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Product Stewardship (PS), the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP), and the Precautionary Principle, as they may apply to tobacco product waste (TPW). The review addresses specific criteria that apply in deciding whether a particular toxic product should adhere to these principles; presents three case studies of similar approaches to other toxic and/or environmentally harmful products; and describes 10 possible interventions or policy actions that may help prevent, reduce, and mitigate the effects of TPW. EPR promotes total lifecycle environmental improvements, placing economic, physical, and informational responsibilities onto the tobacco industry, while PS complements EPR, but with responsibility shared by all parties involved in the tobacco product lifecycle. Both principles focus on toxic source reduction, post-consumer take-back, and final disposal of consumer products. These principles when applied to TPW have the potential to substantially decrease the environmental and public health harms of cigarette butts and other TPW throughout the world. TPW is the most commonly littered item picked up during environmental, urban, and coastal cleanups globally.
authors.affiliation: Director, The Varda Group; and Policy Director, Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, USA.
authors.forename: Clifton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.affiliation: President, Container Recycling Institute, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Sustainability Policy, Research & Planning Consultant, Container Recycling Institute, USA.
authors.forename: Shea
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Sciences, San Antonio Regional Campus, USA.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stigler
authors.affiliation: Chief Executive Officer, Cigarette Butt Pollution Project and Professor of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Novotny
keywords: Cigarette butts; Producer responsibility; Product stewardship; Tobacco control; Tobacco product waste