Cigarette Butts Are One of the Most Dangerous Wastes

A number of studies show that cigarette butt waste is B3 waste which has a bad impact on the environment.

NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Protest participants inserted cigarette butts into bottles during the "One Butt, a Million Problems" campaign held by the Global No Cigarettes Movement community along the sidewalks of Malioboro, Yogyakarta, on Sunday (11/24/2019).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Various studies have proven that cigarette butt waste is included in hazardous and toxic waste. In fact, cigarette butts can be the most dangerous waste, both for the environment and living creatures. However, the government and society pay very little attention to this danger.

Leading Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency's Center for Oceanographic Research, Muhammad Reza Cordova, said in a media discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/4/2024) that cigarette butt waste adds complexity to toxic substances in the environment. The danger of cigarette butt waste is especially significant in Indonesia as a tropical country with hotter temperatures, particularly in coastal areas.

The filters found in cigarette butts made of cellulose acetate are microplastics that are difficult to decompose in the environment. At higher temperatures, the fragmentation process of the cellulose acetate layer will be faster. In one cigarette filter, up to 100 cellulose acetate fibers can be released each day.

Also read: Cigarette Butt Trash Still Goes Unnoticed

"Cigarette butt waste has a very high complexity for the environment. Therefore, cigarette butts can be the most dangerous type of waste that humans dispose of today," said Reza.

Based on research conducted by Reza on 18 beaches in Indonesia during the period of February 2018-December 2019, cigarette butts became the eighth highest waste found with a proportion of 6.47 percent. At least one cigarette butt was found per square meter. Cigarette butt waste is increasingly being found in beach areas that are tourist destinations.

B3 waste

Chairperson of the Children's Lentera Foundation Lisda Sundari said that the high threat of cigarette butt waste has unfortunately not been accompanied by awareness of the management of this waste. So far, cigarette butt waste has not been treated as hazardous and toxic (B3) waste. As a result, cigarette butt waste management is not carried out properly.

Cigarette butt waste has a very high level of complexity for the environment. Therefore, cigarette butts can become the most dangerous type of waste disposed of by humans today.

Because of this, he said, a number of studies were carried out to prove that cigarette butt waste is a type of B3 waste which has a bad impact on the environment. With the results of this study, it is hoped that the government can immediately designate cigarette butt waste as B3 waste. Apart from that, management of cigarette butt waste must also be integrated with existing B3 waste management policies.

"Actually, there is no need for new regulations because the management of cigarette butt waste as hazardous and toxic waste can be accommodated by the existing regulations on hazardous and toxic waste management. However, it must be emphasized that cigarette butt waste is a type of hazardous and toxic waste," said Lisda.

Also read: Lack of Protection for Children from Exposure to Cigarette Smoke

By designating cigarette butt waste as B3 waste, cigarette butt waste management can be implemented using a reduction approach at the downstream level. This is done by requiring cigarette companies to pay for losses or impacts of environmental damage.

ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Cigarette butts collected by volunteers during the Cigarette Butt Plogging activity in the HI Roundabout area, Jakarta, Sunday (28/5/2023).

The imposition of excise on cigarette filters can also be applied based on calculating the environmental impact of the B3 properties of cigarette butts. Cigarette filter settings can also be carried out in the preparation of Plastic Treaty.

Member of the team compiling the Policy Paper "The Urgency of Cigarette Butts as B3 Waste" from the Lentera Anak Foundation, Nahla Jovial Nisa, stated that the urgency of managing cigarette butt waste as B3 waste is increasing due to the large number of smokers in Indonesia. Indonesia has the third-highest number of smokers in the world. With such a large number of smokers, the amount of cigarette butt waste produced will also increase.

Quoting data from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance, domestic cigarette consumption reached 322 billion sticks in 2020. From that amount, approximately 99,820 tons of cigarette butts waste were generated, with each cigarette butt estimated to weigh around 310 milligrams.

According to Nahla, if there is no greater attention from policy makers regarding the threat of cigarette butt waste, the detrimental impact on the environment will only increase both in the short and long term. In the long run, cigarette butt waste can also threaten the health of living beings, including humans, due to the presence of non-biodegradable microplastics.

"The study results have proven that in terms of definition, content, and characteristics, cigarette butt waste has fulfilled some prerequisites in the category of hazardous and toxic waste," he said.

ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Volunteers carried posters warning of the dangers of cigarettes during the Plogging Cigarette Butt event at the Bundaran HI area in Jakarta on Sunday (28/5/2023). World Cleanup Day (WCD) Indonesia and Lentera Anak Foundation campaigned for the adverse effects of cigarettes on health and the environment to welcome World No Tobacco Day, which is observed every May 31st.

From its definition, cigarette butt waste is the residual waste from smoking activities after one finishes smoking it. Cigarette butt waste is dangerous because it cannot biodegrade and is highly toxic to marine organisms. In terms of content, cigarette butt waste is also proven to contain hazardous cellulose acetate for plants, animals, and humans.

There are at least 15 substances contained in cigarette butts that are listed as hazardous waste categorized as B3 according to Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Environmental Protection and Management. These harmful substances include nicotine, benzene, butane, butanol, formaldehyde, cadmium, methanol, and phenol.

Also read: Creating a Smoke-Free Area

However, Nahla stated that regulations on the management of cigarette butt waste are not explicitly enforced by the government. In addition, there is no awareness from both the government and industry on managing cigarette butt waste.

"We hope that the government will immediately designate cigarette butt waste as hazardous waste and incorporate it into existing policies. If not managed properly, the environmental impact will be very significant," he said.