05 June On Environment Day: finally banning cigarette butts effectively from the environment

🚭 Finally stop cigarette butt poison - protect the environment!

Around 80 % of the 75 billion cigarettes smoked in Germany alone every year end up in the environment - in drains, at the side of the road or directly in nature. The filters are full of arsenic, mercury, cadmium and microplastics and take up to 400 years to decompose.

For today's #EnvironmentDay (June 5), I asked the EU Commission how it intends to finally tackle this massive environmental problem effectively. Why, for example, is there still no ban on plastic filters? Is the tobacco industry being held accountable enough?

The SUP Directive (Single-Use Plastics Directive) exists - but it is not being implemented effectively in many Member States. This must change! 💪