Bill Proposed to Cut Toxic Cigarette Waste
Senate Bill 424 Would Ban Filtered Cigarettes
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world — about 4.5 trillion are dropped on the ground each year. A new bill introduced by State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, Senate Bill 424, is making its way through the state Legislature, seeking to reduce the toxins released to the environment by tobacco waste such as cigarette butts and single-use e-cigarettes. It would also effectively ban traditional cigarettes through its prohibition on the sale of tobacco products that have single-use filters. In other words, anything but a hand-rolled or filterless cigarette would be prohibited from “sale, gift, or other furnishing” in California.
For multi-use tobacco products like e-cigarettes, the bill would implement a take-back program for nonrecyclable components, including cartridges, batteries, and filters. These can contain toxins such as arsenic, lead, and nicotine. Under the bill, tobacco manufacturers would be required to collect these nonrecyclable components and properly dispose of them at a hazardous waste facility.
Cigarette butts constitute about a third of all the trash found on California’s beaches, and Santa Barbara County is no exception. In Isla Vista, the Surfrider Foundation collected 27,187 cigarette butts during the fall and winter quarters of the 2018-2019 school year.
