#Nofilterplease: 142,000 cigarette butts collected in the Netherlands in one weekend

On September 5 and 6, 2020, anti-plastic activists collected 142,000 cigarette butts across the country. An ecological gesture at the same time as an appeal to the government in power.

Massive participation

In total, 18 cities took part in the operation. In Amsterdam, 70 people collected 56,000 cigarette butts in one afternoon.

A common source of plastic pollution

“Cigarette butts are almost never mentioned in the discussion about plastic pollution, even though they are one of the most common forms,” says Karl Beerenfenger of By l'Ocean we Unite, one of the founders of the PlasticPeukMeuk collective. “Communication campaigns do not solve the problem. We need to change the product itself. Cigarette filters only serve as a marketing tool to sell more cigarettes. We want to get rid of the plastic cigarette filter completely.”

Clean and challenge

While the action obviously helped to clean up the environment, it also aimed to make cigarette manufacturers and politicians aware of the impact of cigarette butts, and therefore to ban plastic filters. Activists hope that this collection will make the tobacco industry take responsibility, and that it will think about new alternatives that would be less polluting.

A legal framework to be clarified?

According to Article 8 of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), cigarette companies must contribute financially to the collection of cigarette butts containing plastic filters from the streets. Now, campaigners want the government to set a target of reducing cigarette butt pollution by 70% by 2023. “We are calling on the Dutch government to count the number of cigarettes sold and to guarantee a fixed price per butt, to ensure that producers are motivated to take action,” said Rob Buurman, director of Recycling Netwerk Benelux.

  Keywords: Cigarette butts, Environment, Pollution   ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] #Nofilterplease: anti-plastic campaigners pick up 142,000 cigarette butts, www.dutchnews.nl (September 7, 2020 - accessed September 7, 2020). You may also be interested in these articles: DNF, Cigarette butts: pure poison for plants, Tobacco-Free Generation (June 8, 2020 - accessed September 7, 2020). CNCT, Cigarette butts, a major polluter of the seas and oceans, Tobacco-Free Generation (January 17, 2020 - accessed September 7, 2020). DNF, Cigarette butts, a significant cost for the community, Tobacco-Free Generation (December 27, 2020 - accessed September 7, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |