South Korea: Cigarette butt recycling thwarted

Between 2021 and 2023, several South Korean municipalities conducted experiments collecting and transforming cigarette butts into urban paving stones. Chemical analyses revealed the presence of carcinogenic substances in the resulting product, even after high-temperature heat treatment, leading to the discontinuation of these experiments. A study published in the journal Tobacco Control revealed the findings.[1] examines this episode and its implications for the application of extended producer responsibility schemes to tobacco.

Cobblestones made from cigarette butts containing carcinogenic substances

Starting in 2021, the South Korean Ministry of the Environment and several local authorities implemented cigarette butt collection systems, with collection points installed near building entrances and bus stops. Some municipalities, such as the Gangbuk district in Seoul, offered residents compensation based on the weight of cigarette butts collected, up to 60,000 won per month (approximately €35).

The collected cigarette butts were then transformed into paving stones for public spaces, after encapsulation and high-temperature heat treatment of the cellulose acetate used in the filters. In 2022, chemical analyses revealed the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in these paving stones, two families of carcinogenic substances. Their sale was suspended.

The study's authors note that this finding aligns with existing scientific literature: no currently available recycling technology can guarantee the complete removal of toxic components from used filters. A precedent is cited: in the village of Jangjeon (Iksan province), tobacco byproducts used in the production of organic fertilizer were found to contain several carcinogenic substances, and an epidemiological investigation by the Ministry of the Environment established a link between factory emissions and the subsequent incidence of cancer among local residents. Cigarette butts thus differ from other plastic waste due to the nature of their contamination: the toxic residues from tobacco combustion remain present in the material regardless of the processing method used. Cigarette butts constitute toxic waste and must be treated as such, not recycled.

Waste that has remained outside the "polluter pays" system«

The study places this episode within a broader regulatory context. Tobacco remains largely excluded from mechanisms associated with the "polluter pays" principle, which stipulates that a manufacturer finances the management of waste related to its product. This principle generally takes the form of extended producer responsibility (EPR). In South Korea, an EPR system has existed since 2003, but cigarette filters have been excluded.

At the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP11 of the FCTC), warnings were issued regarding the tobacco industry's involvement in extended producer responsibility schemes, noting its increasing use of environmental arguments to downplay the perceived harm caused. The study conducted in Korea also observes that tobacco companies communicate about cigarette butt pollution through butt collection campaigns and corporate social responsibility programs, which frame the problem in terms of individual smoker behavior rather than product design. Furthermore, it notes that some tobacco companies achieve high scores on certain ESG rating systems.[2], sustainability scores higher than those of car manufacturers, these grids evaluating operational practices rather than the nature of the product marketed.

According to data cited in the study, approximately 12.6 million cigarette butts are thrown into the streets of South Korea every day, a volume that voluntary collection systems only marginally cover, while the burden of managing this waste falls on local communities.

The ban on filters, a measure that is starting to gain traction and is now supported by France at the European level.

The study's authors place these results within a broader discussion on so-called "upstream" measures, which focus on product design rather than waste management. Santa Cruz County, California, became the first jurisdiction in 2024 to ban the sale of filtered cigarettes, a measure that took effect in January 2027, initially championed by environmental groups.

This issue is also present in the ongoing European review of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP). Within this framework, France, for the first time in a European consultation, supported a ban on cigarette filters, alongside other measures such as a ban on flavorings and the introduction of plain packaging for all tobacco and nicotine products across Europe. This position, formulated by the General Secretariat for European Affairs, aligns with demands made for several years by public health organizations, including the National Committee Against Smoking, as well as by associations involved in the negotiations of the global treaty on plastic pollution.

The study's authors recommend that regulations require manufacturers to contribute financially to waste management through independent, publicly managed funds, and exclude the use of these obligations for corporate communications or ESG marketing purposes, in accordance with Article 5.3 of the UNFCCC. They indicate that this approach would also apply to e-cigarettes and disposable vaping devices, whose plastic waste, nicotine residue, and lithium batteries represent a distinct environmental challenge not covered by existing frameworks for cigarette butts. In addition to these products, there are also items placed on the market such as nicotine pouches, which again constitute particularly toxic waste for the environment.

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[1] Kim J, Lee S Cigarette butt recycling in South Korea: environmental policy failure and the limits of extended producer responsibility Tobacco Control Published Online First: 08 July 2026. doi: 10.1136/tc-2026-060135

[2] Environmental, Social and Governance Criteria