A rubbish habit: £12.6 billion clean-up cost of littered cigarettes

ALMOST 200 tonnes of cigarette butts are littered across the streets of our region every year, according to a new study.

The report found smoking materials make up 35 per cent of all street litter, with 11 tonnes discarded daily.

The South East is the worst offender, with 261 tonnes dropped annually but Yorkshire and the Humber still clocks up a sorry total of 192 tonnes of non-biodegradable filtered butts.

Health charity Ash.co.uk estimates 15.5 per cent of the adult population smokes at an approximate £12.6 billion cost to society each year, including clean-up costs.

People caught littering, including cigarette butts, face on-the-spot fines of up to £80.

In England, 62 per cent of people drop litter and smoking materials constitute 35 per cent of all street litter. 

Smokers in England consume about 75 million cigarettes every day. Of these, roughly 65.5 million are filtered. 

Most cigarette filters are non-biodegradable and must be collected and disposed of in landfill sites. 

Charles Bloom, managing director of vaping firm Vapourcore.com, which conducted the study, said: “Cigarette waste is a huge problem. 

“Today, consumers are more conscious of waste than ever before. 

“Now, people think twice before purchasing a plastic bottle or disposable coffee cup - even a straw - and the very same mentality should be applied to cigarette butts.

“Of course, not only is the filter component damaging to the environment, but the nicotine, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia and other chemicals found in cigarettes are damaging too — damaging to our wildlife, dangerous to our children and harmful to society; we have a responsibility to recognise this is a problem too big to ignore.”