More than 23 billion cigarette butts thrown into nature each year in France: to deal with this scourge, the municipalities have, with a new dedicated eco-organization, additional tools, but which they consider insufficient.
More than 900 municipalities, or a quarter of the population, have to date agreed with the eco-organization Alcome of the “polluter pays” tobacco sector to help them reduce the number of cigarette butts in the public space.
Resulting from a 2020 law establishing producer responsibility (REP) in the face of this environmental scourge, this system, financed by cigarette and filter manufacturers, aims to cover 75% of the territory by the end of 2024.
Some 23.5 billion cigarette butts, with filters concentrating pollutants and plastics, are thrown on the ground or in nature each year in France, according to the State.
A cigarette butt every ten meters
Today, we find on average more than one cigarette butt (1.3) every ten meters of road.
In large cities, it is 4.5 (0.8 in rural areas, 1.2 in tourist areas, 1.7 in less dense cities), according to a report carried out by Alcome, the public authorities and Ademe .
A new count is planned in 2025 to measure progress, explained to AFP Marie-Noëlle Duval, general director of Alcome, to whom the State has set the objective of reducing cigarette butts on the ground by 40%. here in 2027.
This aid consists of financial support for cleaning up to 2.08 euros per inhabitant for dense urban areas, 1.58 euros for tourists, 1.08 euros for less dense urban areas and 50 cents for rural areas.
Municipalities also receive pocket ashtrays, snuffers/street trash cans, communication kits, etc. In return, the community must draw up an annual report on the actions carried out.
Among the signatories are Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Rouen, Beauvais, but also La Ferté-sous-Jouarre in Seine-et-Marne or Lalinde in Dordogne.
Video.
Paris: 100,000 cigarette butts collected in 1.5 hours by 230 volunteers on the Champs-Élysées
For its ramp-up in 2024, Alcome, the first eco-organization of its kind in Europe, has doubled its budget compared to 2023, to 61 million euros.
Of this sum, some 49 million will go to the municipalities, the rest will finance communication campaigns and events (this summer for the Tour de France, the Olympic Games, festivals).
“The main challenge is to encourage smokers to change their behavior,” emphasizes Marie-Noëlle Duval.
“Until now, he does not realize that his cigarette butt can end up in rivers and oceans.
We are hopeful that these incentive techniques will be effective.
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“The smallest waste”
The Amorce community association says for its part “for the moment (…) generally disappointed”.
“The resources are insufficient, particularly in the rural world,” judges its general delegate, Nicolas Garnier.
He expects “a densification of street ashtrays”.
“Studies show that if the smoker does not have an ashtray in his field of vision, he tends to put his cigarette butt on the ground,” he explains, while Alcome was called to order in 2023 by public authorities on the progress of financing ashtrays.
Megève, a pilot city for the tools offered by the eco-organization, noted a positive impact last winter.
When the Alpine resort goes from 3,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, cigarette butts accumulate near festive places, terraces, scullery areas, in the snow...
“We needed support on this problem, they came at the right time,” says Jean-Pierre Chatellard, deputy in charge of the environment.
Also readChallenge Ma Terre: what to do with your butts to better protect the planet?
Pocket ashtrays were distributed by tobacconists, at the ski lift ticket offices, at the top of the slopes.
“We communicated a lot.
And it worked well,” he says.
Except that a year later, “we see a little carelessness, more incivility.
We need to relaunch communication, education,” adds the elected official, who “does not want to get into the game” of fines, even if he considers it.
“The butt is the smallest waste, it is the one that is neglected,” he notes, “while a handkerchief, for example, is visible.
For people, it’s not very important, so we need to explain it to them.”