Cigarette Butts

The Problem

A cigarette butt may be small, but if it is thrown away or dropped, it is classed as littering. Smoking related litter can include cigarette packets, matches, silver paper, and cigarette butts or filters.

Many people don’t see dropping a cigarette as littering because the waste is physically small. There is also a view that cigarette butts are biodegradable (which is false). Some smokers consider putting a cigarette out on the floor as a safer option than other methods of disposal (i.e. if a cigarette end was not put out completely and placed in a bin, it may cause a fire).

The Facts

As well as being unsightly, discarded cigarette butts contain tobacco and a number of toxic chemicals including hydrogen, cyanide and arsenic which can harm wildlife if ingested.

Some people think that cigarette filters are made from cotton and that they will perish or degrade quickly. This is not true. Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which takes a number of years to biodegrade.

It takes one second to drop a cigarette butt. Assuming it takes the same time to pick it up again, it would take one person, working eight hours a day, nearly 20 years to collect the estimated 200 million cigarette butts that are thrown away each day in the UK (Encams Facts and Figures).

The Message

Smoking is a personal choice. Dropping cigarette butts is littering. Over the coming months, the Bay Team will be out and about in Torbay, encouraging smokers to use designated cigarette bins and personal ashtrays to bin their butts. The Bay Team will also be reminding people that tobacco is designed to stay lit, and cigarettes can very easily start an accidental fire.

The Bay Team will also be working with local businesses to encourage them to fit cigarette bins for employees and customers in and around their premises.

Pubs and clubs throughout Torbay will also be asked for their views on how cigarrette litter could be tackled.

Break the Rules, Pay the Price

Dropping cigarette litter is classed as littering so if you are caught you may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £75. Fixed Penalty Notices are issued as an alternative to prosecution. This means that if you receive a Notice and choose not to pay it, you could face a higher fine or be prosecuted which will result in a criminal conviction.

To find out more check out the fact sheets available on our Downloads page