Tobacco companies will now be responsible for cleaning up cigarette butts from Spain’s streets and beaches following new environmental legislation.
Millions of butts are thrown away annually, unleashing dangerous plastic trash that can take decades to decompose.
According to statistics from 2020, almost a fifth of adult Spaniards smoke every day.
The restrictions went into effect on Friday, but it’s still not obvious how they’ll be put into practice or whether expenses will likely be passed on to customers.
According to a survey by the Catalan Rezero Foundation, annual road cleaning costs in Catalonia are anticipated to range from €12 to €21 (£11 to $13-22) per resident, with greater costs in coastal areas.
Cigarette waste was identified in the research as the “most abundant waste” on the beaches of the western Mediterranean, and it was noted that previous efforts to combat it, including awareness campaigns and portable beach ashtrays, had fallen short.
The new regulations are a part of a law that was approved last year that prohibits single-use plastics like straws and cutlery and was created to comply with an EU mandate.
Similar legislation requiring tobacco companies to cover the cost of cigarette litter was introduced in Ireland on Thursday.
According to Ireland’s National Litter Pollution Monitoring System, smoking is the primary cause of nearly half of the country’s litter.
In recent years, Spain has implemented a number of comprehensive policies to reduce smoking. All of Barcelona’s public beaches were made smoke-free in July of last year, and violators were subject to a €30 (£27; $32) fine.
