EU Weighs Cigarette Filter Ban to Curb Smoking & Pollution

In an effort to address environmental pollution and deter smoking, health and environmental activists are pushing for a Europe-wide ban on cigarette filters, reports euronews.com. According to the World Health Organization, cigarette butts are the second most prevalent litter on European beaches. The call for governments to classify cigarette filters as single-use plastics, given their harmful environmental impact and lack of proven health benefits, was put forth by the WHO last year.

Discarded tobacco products release around 7,000 toxic chemicals and cigarette butts are known to contain non-biodegradable microplastics. The Netherlands is among the European countries contemplating such a ban. Dutch junior infrastructure minister, Vivianne Heijnen, argued that a filter ban would be the most effective countermeasure to this type of litter's harmful environmental effects, despite the potential contravention of the European free trade agreement.

The Superior Health Council in Belgium and health campaigners in Denmark have also recommended a Europe-wide filter ban, suggesting that it provides smokers a "false sense of security". The Danish Cancer Society and Danish Heart Association anticipate that filter-less cigarettes could deter young people from starting to smoke.

Despite opposition from tobacco giant Philip Morris, supermarket chain Lidl is preparing for a smoke-free future and has pledged to phase out tobacco sales across Denmark by 2029. This initiative, in partnership with the Danish Cancer Society, involves a 20% reduction of cigarettes on their shelves starting this summer and the opening of a new tobacco-free store in Hjørring this week.

However, proposals like a tax on cigarette filters and a deposit system for cigarette butts are also being considered as alternatives to the outright ban. Despite these ongoing discussions, the decision to include the cigarette filter ban in the 2026 renewal of the European guideline on single-use plastics remains uncertain.

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