A Material Environmental Problem
Cigarette Butts and Ocean Trash
Cigarette butts are the single greatest source of ocean trash.
Greenbutts is on a MISSION to ELIMINATE the significant environmental impact caused by CIGARETTE BUTTS - over 65% are littered each year making it the most littered PLASTIC in the world.
The Problem With Cigarette Pollution Is
Company website figures. These are environmental context, not company operating results.
- 6,000,000,000,000+
- Produced Yearly
- 15+Years
- To Degrade
- 2 billion+lbs
- Plastic Waste Annually
- 12,000
- Fibre Strands in Each Butt
The Environmental Impact
TOXIC WASTE derived from synthetic plastic
HARMFUL to aquatic ecosystems and wildlife
BILLIONS of dollars to clean up cigarette waste annually
Figures in Context
| Topic | Company Website | Visual Capitalist |
|---|---|---|
| Litter Rate | over 65% | around 80% of the 6 trillion cigarettes purchased annually |
| Fibre Strands | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| Acetate Degradation / UV Breakdown | 10-15 years / 15+ years | 18 months to 10 years (UV breakdown into smaller pieces) |
Visual Capitalist, Chris Dickert, 10 March 2023, sponsored by Greenbutts. These figures have different source wording and are not combined.
The Cost of Plastic Pollution
139 million tons of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, seas, and rivers.
Every year, plastic pollution costs coastal countries between $6.0 and $19.2 billion.
Direct government costs: $5.6 to $15.0 billion. Tourism: $237.8 million to $2.4 billion. Fisheries and aquaculture: $114.4 million to $1.9 billion.
Visual Capitalist, Chris Dickert, 30 June 2023, sponsored by Greenbutts; estimates developed by Deloitte for The Ocean Cleanup.
The Wider Plastic Problem
Microplastics in Marine Environments
OECD estimates a combined 139 million tons of plastic waste already in seas, oceans, and rivers. In 2019, 6.1 million tons of plastic waste entered aquatic environments and 1.7 million tons the oceans.
Studies have shown cigarette filters shed approximately 100 microfibers per day; about 0.3 million tons of microplastics could be reaching marine environments this way every year.
Visual Capitalist, Chris Dickert, 10 March 2023, sponsored by Greenbutts. Environmental context, not company operating results.