African Institute calls On EU, AU To Force Tobacco Companies To Be Paying For The Evacuations Of Discarded Cigarettes Sticks Polluting Environment.

By Gambo Abubakar Kaduna

As cigarette butts continues to damage and ravage the entire environment.

Every year the tobacco industry costs the world more than 8 million human lives, 600 million trees, 200 000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water and 84 million tonnes of CO2. 

The Registrar General of African institute of waste management and Environmental Studies  Dr. Ahmed Lateef Tayo has called Europeans union EU  and African Union AU to make it mandatory on all tobacco companies across  African to be paying for the evacuations of all the tobacco discarded cigarettes sticks and packs polluting streets, markets, motor parks, train station ,football stadium etc. 

Adding that Tobacco products are the most littered item on the planet, containing over 7000 toxic chemicals, which leech into our environment when discarded. Adding that Roughly 4.5 trillion cigarette filters pollute our oceans, rivers, city sidewalks, parks, soil and beaches every year.

" It cost huge amount of money to clean -up all the Millions of cigarette butts in the society capable of destroying the environment and ecosystem "

" Something to always remember is that, a cigarette pack frequently contains 20 cigarettes, cartons have 10 packs or 200 cigarettes, and master cases 50 cartons or 10,000 cigarettes"

While Stressing that, it may come to you as no surprise that cigarettes are the most littered item on earth ,and nobody is talking about that ,hence the need to raise more awareness to all stake holders to be more serious 

According to him, there are millions of discarded cigarettes sticks and butts polluting the entire environment , while causing lungs and other dangerous health diseases to human organs.

The Registrar make the called during an interview with  journalists in Nigeria and Team of African climate reporters  in kaduna state north western Nigeria. 

He note that cigarette butts pose a serious threat to living organisms and ecosystem health when discarded in the environment because they are toxic to microbes, insects, fish, rodents and mammals.

It could be recalled that WHO has revealed new information on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing.

He said ,Worldwide, about 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered each year. What does all that cigarette waste mean for the environment? 

Adding that, Even as the smoking rate has gone down, cigarette butts seem to be everywhere, scattered along green spaces, sidewalks, roadsides, beaches, waterways virtually everywhere we go.

Cigarettes make up more than one-third nearly 38 percent of all collected litter. Disposing of cigarettes on the ground or out of a car is so common that 75 percent of smokers report doing it.

The Registrar General added that Littered cigarette butts leach toxic chemicals such as arsenic (used to kill rats) and lead, to name a few into the environment and can contaminate water.

 The toxic exposure can poison fish, as well as animals that eat cigarette butts.

Products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes also add to the build-up of plastic pollution. Cigarette filters contain micro plastics and make up the second-highest form of plastic pollution worldwide.

Tobacco uses increases the likelihood of developing lung cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, and blood clots.

 Tobacco use also increases the risk of heart attack and stroke and leads to tooth and gum decay and wrinkled skin.

Despite tobacco industry marketing, there is no evidence that filters have any proven health benefits. 

Recalled some years back that also, WHO calls on policy-makers to treat cigarette filters, as what they are, single use plastics, and consider banning cigarette filters to protect public health and the environment.

Another environmental factor that can slow down degradation of Cigarettes butts is their low nutrient content, especially nitrogen (N). 

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco kills more than 8 million people per year, including both smokers and non-smokers who experience second-hand smoke. The Center for Disease Control points out that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States.

Lesotho had the highest presence of tobacco users in Africa as of 2019. That year, 26.7 percent of Lesotho's population consumed tobacco. Morocco followed close with 23.4, then South Africa with a prevalence of 20.3 percent.

Prevalence of tobacco users in Africa in 2019, by country.

Tobacco prevalence is affected by several factors. Prosperity is the first of these. Wealthier countries tend to smoke more. Certain religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, are anti-tobacco. Additionally, in some cultures around the world, smoking is part of the social culture and is almost expected for males.

It's really unfortunate; In general, smoking rates have decreased around the world due to increased education on the effects of tobacco and anti-tobacco campaigns

Countries like France and Spain and cities like San Francisco, California in the USA have taken a stand. Following the Polluter Pays Principle, they have successfully implemented “extended producer responsibility legislation” which makes the tobacco industry responsible for clearing up the pollution it creates.

Therefore, African institute of waste management urges countries and cities to follow this example, as well as give support to tobacco farmers to switch to sustainable crops, implement strong tobacco taxes (that could also include an environmental tax) and offer support services to help people quit tobacco.

More over, he insisted that African Union AU need to come up with new approach towards tackling the spread of cigarettes discarded butts on the streets of walk away places 

Non -governmental environmental NGOs and civil society organization need to double more effort towards sensitizing the general public on the harmful effects of cigarette smoking among youth across the 54 African Nations 

While calling on ministries of environment and federal ministry of health to embark On ceaseless campaign toward Maintaining the culture of  cleaning up The discarded cigarettes sticks polluting the environment

Meanwhile ,the national president Metro environmental cleaning awareness initiative in Nigeria comrade Suleiman jibrin has called on tobacco companies to find new ways of protecting the environment against the spread of the discarded cigarettes butts destroying the good emerge of the environment 

He Appealled to European nations and African Union equally find new strategies of taxing all the tobacco companies across the world and charges for cleaning up the trash from tobacco waste polluting the environment 

Similarly the Two times winner of world no tobacco Day Mrs Margaret Julius has called for the banned of all tobacco companies round of world to save youth and women against selling and smoking of the cigarettes

She said banning all the tobacco companies from productions Is the only solution to the increase burdens of lungs and other health complicated issues