Government may ask tobacco companies to pay for cleaning up cigarette butts

The government is considering a plan to force big tobacco companies to pay the £40 million annual cost of cleaning up discarded cigarette butts.

“We are exploring how cigarette companies can be held fully accountable for the unsightly scourge of litter created by their products,” Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ministers are considering regulating the industry to ensure it pays the full disposal costs of cigarette litter.

The ministry cited research which showed that smoking related litter is the most prevalent form of litter in England, making up 68 per cent of all littered items and found on around 80 per cent of surveyed sites.

The government is also set to publish a new tobacco control plan for England later this year to deliver its ambition of a smoke-free country by 2030, it added.

“We’re delighted that Ministers in DEFRA and DHSC are working collaboratively to use environmental legislation to make tobacco manufacturers clear up the toxic waste caused by cigarette butts,” commented Deborah Arnott, chief executive at tobacco harm reduction charity ASH.

“This is exactly what ASH called for at a meeting between DEFRA and Keep Britain Tidy last summer, when a voluntary approach was under discussion. This is a good first step in delivering the cross-government approach to public health launched by the prime minister yesterday.”

At the September roundtable on Smoking Related Litter, Minister Pow has encouraged parties to consider whether a non-regulatory producer responsibility scheme could be developed for tobacco waste products.

However, the government said it has since decided, having considered further evidence, that a regulatory approach may be required to ensure that the industry takes sufficient financial responsibility for the litter created by its products.