The cigarette butt became a public enemy! These small pieces of plastic that contain harmful substances are abandoned in mass on the public road: 30 billion cigarettes are discarded by the earth every year in France. To address this scourge, the government has decided to apply the principle of “polluter pays” principle. The secretary of State to the minister of the ecological Transition and solidarity Brune Poirson will register in the law on the circular economy – in planning – the creation of an “Eco-organism”.
The structure will be funded by the industry. The role of the new institution will be “to find solutions to collect the cigarette butts, carry out awareness-raising activities, cleaning, recycling…”, said the ministry. Brune Poirson had asked industry representatives to submit solutions to combat these waste products are particularly harmful to the environment. Judging the proposals was disappointing, the secretary of State has decided to go to law to force them to manage the end-of-life cigarettes.
“Our job is not to create pollution,” said a representative of British American Tobacco (BAT), which owns Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. Today, however, the butts are among the main waste found in the ocean, according to the NGO Surfrider Foundation. These pieces of plastic compounds, cellulose acetate treated titanium dioxide that contain arsenic, lead, tar… put more than twelve years to decompose in nature.
Aware of the problem, the manufacturers do not say that they oppose the creation of a structure responsible for managing the butts. “We just want that the effort required is proportionate”, says the spokesperson of BAT. “It is necessary to first make an inventory to accurately assess the damage caused by cigarette butts, and set goals unsustainable”, says the representative of the sector.
manufacturers wish to be “part” of the future “Eco-body”
The funding arrangements for this new “Eco-organism” yet to be defined. In 2013, the year when the ban on smoking in indoor public places has been decided, the chairman of the environmental group of the Senate, Jean-Vincent Placed, had proposed a tax of one cent per package of 20 cigarettes. But this level of funding is unacceptable, meets British American Tobacco (BAT). These fustigent this principle of a contribution proportional to the number of cigarettes sold, that they qualify as “tax-butt”.
On the tasks assigned to the structure, the industrial desire to “be a part”. They say that they are “determined to take action to ensure that smokers throw their cigarette butts in places” and support, for example, the recording of a message on the packets. The latter advocate the incineration of waste, and are opposed to the creation of a collection chain specific for the recycling of these waste, not to the point, and too expensive according to them. However, the plant Mego in Britain is now able to recycle this waste. She transforms into urban furniture, garden, telephone holder, ashtrays and benches for the corners smoking!
The city of Paris could serve as a model. The capital city has decided to put the overdrive in its fight against this scourge, which costs him two million euros per year. The elect come to decide to do away with the two billion butts thrown every year on the sidewalks. To do this, they will create “streets free of cigarette butts” to be determined by the borough mayors. They will distribute ashtrays pocket to the Parisians, residents, offices and merchants… Remains to be seen whether the initiative will bear fruit. One thing is for sure it will be closely followed by the industrialists and artisans of the forthcoming law on the circular economy.
