The Environmental impact of tobacco use

Waste by-products of the approximately 6.3 trillion cigarettes smoked globally every year include some 300 billion cigarette packs that produce an estimated 1,800,000 tonnes of waste, paper, cellophane, foil and glue, and trillions of cigarette butts that are littered into the environment. Despite Australia’s declining smoking rates, approximately 2.6 million smokers consume some 20 billion cigarettes per year, and discard some 7 billion butts into the environment. According to Keep Australia Beautiful’s National Litter Index, cigarette butts were the most frequently identified litter item in 2014–15, at 22 butts per 1000m2. Clean Up Australia’s annual Rubbish Report 2015 reported similar findings, noting that cigarette butts accounted for 11.6% of total rubbish, making them the most commonly collected item.