More than 90 percent of Swiss people reject the careless disposal of cigarette butts. However, more than half of those questioned believe that littering cigarettes is socially acceptable, a paradox that shows how strongly the actual rejection is underestimated, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Stop2drop announced on Tuesday. 16% of smokers surveyed said they usually throw their cigarettes on the ground if there is no litter bin nearby. A tenth said they always throw their cigarette butts on the ground when they smoke in public places. This corresponds to about 210,000 people in Switzerland.
Many people are not aware of how harmful cigarette butts are to nature, the report adds. Cigarette butts contain toxins such as heavy metals and nicotine, which endanger plants, animals and groundwater. The nicotine in a cigarette butt can be detected in 1,000 litres of water, and filters break down into harmful microplastics that persist in the environment for centuries. Swiss municipalities spend 52 million francs of taxpayers’ money each year on disposing of cigarette butts. According to the NGO, many cigarette butts are also found in playgrounds, posing a danger to young children.
As part of the study, the research organisation Sotomo interviewed more than 2,600 people in cooperation with Stop2drop. On Tuesday, the NGO launched its third national cigarette butt collection challenge. The aim is to collect one million cigarette butts in Switzerland by 25 March.
