title: Environmental impacts of tobacco product waste: International and Australian policy responses.
abstract: The health risks of tobacco consumption are well established, but there is less awareness of the global environmental impacts of smoking. The by-products of the 6.3 trillion cigarettes smoked annually are filters (butts) that contain benzene, nicotine, cadmium, and dozens of other chemicals. It is estimated that between one- and two-thirds of all filters are discarded on roads, pavements, and green spaces. Butt litter as an environmental and public health hazard is a relatively new field of study, but recent research and findings have clear global implications. While this article focuses specifically on the situation in Australia, where cigarette butts are consistently the most littered item identified in national clean-up campaigns, the material reviewed has clear international environmental implications. The article first reviews existing literature on filter composition and toxicology, clean-up costs, regulatory response, and key policy actors. It then describes the scale of the butt litter problem in Australia using existing data, and analyses potential remedies at both the domestic and international levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Lucinda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Wallbank
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia. ross.mackenzie@mq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9862-2101
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Beggs
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D004777:Environment; D005374:Filtration; D057766:Policy; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014866:Waste Products
chemical_list: D014866:Waste Products
keywords: Cigarette butt litter; Environmental organisations; Policy response; Tobacco industry; Toxicology