title: Tobacco industry responsibility for butts: a Model Tobacco Waste Act.
abstract: Cigarette butts and other postconsumer products from tobacco use are the most common waste elements picked up worldwide each year during environmental cleanups. Under the environmental principle of Extended Producer Responsibility, tobacco product manufacturers may be held responsible for collection, transport, processing and safe disposal of tobacco product waste (TPW). Legislation has been applied to other toxic and hazardous postconsumer waste products such as paints, pesticide containers and unused pharmaceuticals, to reduce, prevent and mitigate their environmental impacts. Additional product stewardship (PS) requirements may be necessary for other stakeholders and beneficiaries of tobacco product sales and use, especially suppliers, retailers and consumers, in order to ensure effective TPW reduction. This report describes how a Model Tobacco Waste Act may be adopted by national and subnational jurisdictions to address the environmental impacts of TPW. Such a law will also reduce tobacco use and its health consequences by raising attention to the environmental hazards of TPW, increasing the price of tobacco products, and reducing the number of tobacco product retailers.
authors.affiliation: Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Clifton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, , San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Kelley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Public Health Law Center, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freiberg
authors.affiliation: ChangeLab Solutions, Oakland, California, USA.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004777:Environment; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D033161:Government Regulation; D006256:Hazardous Waste / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D012941:Social Responsibility; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018505:Waste Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
chemical_list: D006256:Hazardous Waste
keywords: Denormalization; Environment; Public policy; Tobacco industry