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ARCHIVED - Tobacco companies in Spain forced to foot the bill for cleaning up cigarette butts
Spain has introduced the measure as part of its new environmental plan on waste reduction
From this Friday (January 6), tobacco companies in Spain will be forced to pay for cleaning up the millions of cigarette butts discarded on the country’s streets and beaches every year.
Included in a new European Union directive on limiting plastics, the Spanish government is implementing a series of environmental measures which involve banning single-use plastic plates and straws, cotton buds and Styrofoam cups. Supermarkets will also have to offer fresh fruit and veg for sale in bulk and allow customers to provide their own reusable containers.
According to the Ocean Conservancy NGO, cigarette ends take about ten years to decompose and account for the vast majority of marine pollution, even beating out plastic bags and bottles. For this very reason, more than 500 beaches in Spain have now prohibited smoking.
Under the new regulations, the tobacco companies will also be responsible for mounting campaigns to advise consumers on the environmental damage caused by discarding cigarette ends irresponsibly, but it’s yet to be seen how their mandatory clean-up will be enforced by the authorities.
The potential cost to manufacturers is also staggering, and will most likely be passed on to smokers by hiking up the price of a pack; one study conducted in Catalonia estimated that the cost of cleaning up butts could be as high as 21 euros per person per year, which translates into an annual bill of 1 billion euros.
Around 22% of people in Spain still smoke, which is much higher than the 18.4% European average but surprisingly, most are in favour of restrictions in public places, such as bar and restaurant terraces, to push smokers to quit the habit.
Image: Pixabay
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