Dear FDA, Ban Plasticized Cigarette Filters.
The Issue
Did you know that 2,412,151 cigarette butts were collected on beaches and waterways across the world in 2018? [1] Or that almost all cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that can take years to decompose? [2] Or even that cigarette butts are the number one form of plastic that pollutes our bodies of water? [3]
That's right, everyone. You read that correctly. Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic found on our beaches. The amount collected in 2017 alone is equivalent to 255 times the height of the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia which is 601 meters tall! [4]
Additionally, the data from this International Coastal Cleanup, as conducted annually by the nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, does not even include the numerous cigarette butts that are littered in places other than beaches or waterways — which inevitably end up polluting our environment in ways not typically accounted for.
Because the manufacturing of single-use disposable plastics seems to be ever-increasing, there is also an upsurge in the very real possibility that people will discard their trash in places that negatively impact the environment — either in direct ways such as leaving their garbage on beaches, or through indirect ways such as throwing trash in the streets which then has the potential to enter the sewer systems through drains that inevitably lead to the ocean. Not to mention the fact that the discarded cigarette butts are non-biodegradable, expensive to clean up, poisonous when ingested by living organisms, damages ecosystems, have been linked to the start of wildfires, etc. [5]
As such, I propose a ban on plasticized cigarette filters. While making individuals aware of the negative impact of littering cigarette butts is beneficial, this would not be enough to deter every single cigarette user from haphazardly discarding their cigarette butts into the environment.
Additionally, while cigarette filters are assumed to help diminish the negative effects of smoking, all they truly do is make the smoke easier to ingest [6] which can be accomplished through blends of other natural materials that smaller companies such as Greenbutts is trying to achieve. [7] However, one company attempting this won’t be enough to effectively change how cigarettes are currently made and irresponsibly disposed of unless the law is involved — as this would force the largest cigarette companies to make their cigarettes more environmentally friendly since they would be required to comply. And as the manufacturing of cigarettes is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we must take the fight to them.
So join me and let’s put an end to the use of plasticized cigarette filters and replace them with ones that are more eco-friendly for the future of our planet!
References:
[1] https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Building-A-Clean-Swell.pdf
[2] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-010-0258-0
[3, 4] https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-Ocean-Conservancy-ICC-Report.pdf
[5] https://www.reefrelief.org/2013/02/the-environmental-impact-of-cigarette-butt-waste-just-the-facts/
[6] https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/media/745335/cigarette-butts-plastic-litter.pdf
991
The Issue
Did you know that 2,412,151 cigarette butts were collected on beaches and waterways across the world in 2018? [1] Or that almost all cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that can take years to decompose? [2] Or even that cigarette butts are the number one form of plastic that pollutes our bodies of water? [3]
That's right, everyone. You read that correctly. Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic found on our beaches. The amount collected in 2017 alone is equivalent to 255 times the height of the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia which is 601 meters tall! [4]
Additionally, the data from this International Coastal Cleanup, as conducted annually by the nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, does not even include the numerous cigarette butts that are littered in places other than beaches or waterways — which inevitably end up polluting our environment in ways not typically accounted for.
Because the manufacturing of single-use disposable plastics seems to be ever-increasing, there is also an upsurge in the very real possibility that people will discard their trash in places that negatively impact the environment — either in direct ways such as leaving their garbage on beaches, or through indirect ways such as throwing trash in the streets which then has the potential to enter the sewer systems through drains that inevitably lead to the ocean. Not to mention the fact that the discarded cigarette butts are non-biodegradable, expensive to clean up, poisonous when ingested by living organisms, damages ecosystems, have been linked to the start of wildfires, etc. [5]
As such, I propose a ban on plasticized cigarette filters. While making individuals aware of the negative impact of littering cigarette butts is beneficial, this would not be enough to deter every single cigarette user from haphazardly discarding their cigarette butts into the environment.
Additionally, while cigarette filters are assumed to help diminish the negative effects of smoking, all they truly do is make the smoke easier to ingest [6] which can be accomplished through blends of other natural materials that smaller companies such as Greenbutts is trying to achieve. [7] However, one company attempting this won’t be enough to effectively change how cigarettes are currently made and irresponsibly disposed of unless the law is involved — as this would force the largest cigarette companies to make their cigarettes more environmentally friendly since they would be required to comply. And as the manufacturing of cigarettes is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we must take the fight to them.
So join me and let’s put an end to the use of plasticized cigarette filters and replace them with ones that are more eco-friendly for the future of our planet!
References:
[1] https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Building-A-Clean-Swell.pdf
[2] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-010-0258-0
[3, 4] https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-Ocean-Conservancy-ICC-Report.pdf
[5] https://www.reefrelief.org/2013/02/the-environmental-impact-of-cigarette-butt-waste-just-the-facts/
[6] https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/media/745335/cigarette-butts-plastic-litter.pdf
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Petition created on January 16, 2019