On 28th July 2023, the amount of plastic waste outweighs the world’s ability to manage it. This day has arrived at a time with many environmental disasters occurring across the globe and fingers are partially pointed to our polluted waste.
The result of this day is due to significant amounts of plastic winding up in our environment every year. 43% of plastic produced and used is mismanaged as waste, meaning 68,642,999 tons of additional plastic waste will end up in nature this year[1]. According to Greenpeace[2], a truckload of plastic enters the ocean every single minute. Bottles, tubs and food trays are some of the more obvious items we may think of, but there are other items we may not think about.
Every year around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded globally, making them the most littered item on earth[3]. Cigarette butts are made with single-use plastic and can take over a decade to breakdown, they become microplastics ending up in our environment becoming a danger to our oceans and animals. Further to their plastic pollution, cigarettes leach toxins into our waterways, beaches and streets and are a danger to pets and children who may pick them up.
Yet cigarette butts remain unseen in the latest Environmental Protection (Single Use Plastic Products) Act in Wales[4]. ASH Wales firmly support action on single use plastics to reduce risk of environmental crisis and damage to nature, but strongly encourage that cigarettes be included with action to protect our Welsh landscapes.
In the interest of protecting Welsh landscapes, ASH Wales continue to create Smokefree spaces to not only reduce litter and pollution but to de-normalise smoking in the eyes of children and young people. Smokefree Beaches has become an interest of many and the organisation look forward to more local authorities in Wales joining the campaign and creating a cleaner and smokefree coastline. To read more about the campaign, visit the campaign page here.
[1] https://plasticovershoot.earth
[2] https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/plastic-pollution/
[3] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cigarettes-story-of-plastic
[4] https://www.gov.wales/environmental-protection-single-use-plastic-products-wales-act
By ASH Wales
