STOP butts! Tobacco manufacturers must finance recycling!
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission Pascal Canfin, President of the ENVI Commission in the European Parliament To the Environment Ministers of the 27 Member States To the citizens of the European Union
This petition is run by [% inititator_name %]
Petition
We citizens demand the inclusion of our proposals in the revision of Directive 2014/40/EU making it mandatory for tobacco manufacturers
To organize and finance the collection and recycling of cigarette butts throughout the EU
To create recycling chains to support the circular economy: transformation into street furniture, insulation...
To write the following message on tobacco products: "The best cigarette is the one you don't smoke; Otherwise recycle your butt!"
To install cigarette butt collection terminals
Why is this important?
The revision of Directive 2014/40/EU on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products and related tobacco products is scheduled for 2026!
800 billion cigarette butts thrown away each year in Europe; it is the most polluting waste in the world
Tobacco manufacturers make €50 billion in annual profits but do not finance any recycling.
Cost for taxpayers: 1.5 billion euros for cleaning. ADEME
1 butt = 500 liters of polluted water + takes between 12 and 15 years to degrade by releasing microplastics and pollutants
75% of Europeans are NON-SMOKERS and pay for the cleaning of a product they do not use!
The European Union has already banned straws and plastic bags; it's the turn of cigarette butts.
In California, an ecotax on cigarettes finances recycling: -40% of butts in 2 years
In France MéGo recycles butts into street furniture