Umwelt | Wasser & Boden, 20.07.2026

110,396 cigarette butts collected in one month

Surfrider publishes the results of its annual campaign against cigarette filters

Throughout June, led by Surfrider Foundation Europe, more than 400 citizens took part in cigarette butt clean-up campains on beaches, around lakes and along rivers across Europe. These initiatives resulted in the collection of 110,963 items of tobacco-related litter, reinforcing the NGO’s call for an urgent EU-wide ban on cigarette filters, nicotine pouches and disposable vapes.

Surfrider Against Cigaretts Butts : End of 2026 annual campaign which involved 400 citizens.

In France, Spain, Germany and Greece, local chapters of Surfrider Foundation Europe organised specific clean-up campaigns targeting tobacco-related waste in order to highlight the various forms of pollution caused by this industry and its disastrous consequences for the environment.

In total, 110,396 cigarette butts, 31 nicotine pouches, and 15 items of e-cigarette waste were collected across Europe.

Detailed breakdown by country

In France, 16 clean-up operations took place, gathering more than 160 citizens who collected and quantified 60,000 waste items from the tobacco industry, including 21 nicotine pouches, 1 e-cigarette, and 59,359 cigarette butts.
In Germany, 11 clean-up operations took place, bringing together 30 citizens who collected and quantified 26,387 cigarette butts.
In Greece, 1 clean-up operation took place, gathering more than 20 citizens who collected and quantified 3,076 waste items from the tobacco industry, including 6 nicotine pouches, 2 e-cigarettes, and 3,050 cigarette butts.
In Spain, 21 clean-up operations were organised, gathering more than 170 citizens who collected and quantified 21,500 items of litter from the tobacco industry, including 4 nicotine pouches, 12 e-cigarettes and 21,400 cigarette butts.

These data highlight the importance of banning cigarette filters and other tobacco products

As Surfrider highlighted in its position paper published on 30 May, it is essential to ban cigarette butts, nicotine pouches and disposable vapes in order to protect public health and preserve the environment.

Beyond the well-recognized public health concern, products from the tobacco industry have a major environmental impact throughout their entire lifecycle.

First, cigarette filters: once consumed, they become cigarette butts that absorb thousands of toxic chemical substances, including nicotine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, and heavy metals. In total, nearly 7,000 chemical substances can be released from a single cigarette butt, including more than 40 known mutagens and carcinogens.

As the month of July is marked by the international Plastic Free July movement, Surfrider reminds everyone that cigarette butts remain one of the most widespread source of microplastic pollution.

The problem is now expanding beyond conventional cigarettes. Other tobacco industry products, marketed by the tobacco industry as alternatives to cigarettes or as tools to help consumers quit smoking., are also single-use plastics, and, their consumption is growing, especially among younger generations, creating additional pressure on the environment.

Nicotine pouches are single-use, non-recyclable, and non-biodegradable products that ultimately end up in landfill or incineration. When discarded in nature, they contribute to both plastic and chemical pollution, similar to cigarette butts. They can get ingested by wildlife, while the nicotine they contain is toxic even in very small doses to aquatic organisms.

Disposable e-cigarettes are often discarded after just a few days of use, despite containing valuable and hazardous materials. They combine three major sources of pollution in a single product: plastic, electronic waste and hazardous chemical substances, making them a highly polluting item once in the environment.

Building on some Member States’ initiative to ban nicotine pouches and disposable vapes, Surfrider now calls for a ban on these items at the European level.

Surfrider Foundation is a collective of positive activists who act concretely on the ground every day to pass on a preserved Ocean to future generations. Our mission: To loudly and strongly voice the Ocean! Our tools? Raising awareness and mobilizing citizens, children and adults alike (notably through 48 volunteer branches across Europe), using our scientific expertise to carry out lobbying actions and transform companies. Discover the association at https://surfrider.eu/ or via this video.

Kontakt: Surfrider Foundation Europe, Lionel Cheylus | lcheylus@surfrider.eu | www.surfrider.eu