UK Cigarette Litter Facts
UK statistics
- Every day UK smokers throw away about 200 million butts
- 122 tons of cigarette butts and cigarette related litter is dropped every day in the UK
- The most commonly found litter on the UK's streets and beaches is cigarette butts
- Many people believe that cigarette filters are biodegradable. They are not!
- Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which takes 12 years to biodegrade
- Cigarette butts leak toxins that contaminate water and harm marine life and the environment
- Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures, who mistake them for food
- Cigarette associated litter amounts for 70% - 90% of all litter in our Town Centres
- It costs the UK government around £370 million a year to remove litter from our streets
- A dropped cigarette butt carries a littering fine of at least £50 and can be as much as £2500
- Careless smoking is estimated to be the number one cause of fire related death and injury in the UK
- Smoking causes 5,400 property fires every year in the UK
Sources: ash, buttsandgum, defra, encams
