Nearly a quarter of a million cigarette butts are estimated to be dropped on UK high streets every hour, according to new figures from Keep Britain Tidy.
The research shows that 2.7 million cigarette butts are dropped on high streets on a daily basis – equating to around 225,000 butts being dropped between the hours of 8am and 8pm each day.
Of course, high streets make up just a tiny proportion of the UK – meaning the figure for butts dropped across the whole of the country will dwarf this.
The figures are based on real-world litter analysis, meaning only high streets have so far been quantified. However, it is estimated that over 12 billion cigarette butts are dropped globally every single day.
To demonstrate what nearly a quarter of a million cigarette butts looks like, Keep Britain Tidy has created a mound representing 225,000 cigarette butts made using real butts collected from our high streets.
The disgusting, smelly sculpture shows the worrying scale of cigarette butts dropped on high streets every single hour.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Allison Ogden-Newton: “Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the UK and the consequences to our environment, our wellbeing, and our taxpayer are far more significant than many realise.
“A quarter of a million butts are dropped every hour on UK high streets alone – these areas are cleaned regularly, but the hour-by-hour deluge of butts makes the task of cleaning them up like painting the Forth Bridge – once you’ve finished, you just have to start again.
“We need attitudes to change towards cigarette litter so that it is no longer viewed as acceptable, but rather as the single use plastic that it is.
“We are asking smokers to please understand that they are contributing to a significant environmental issue in the UK and to take responsibility for disposing of their rubbish.”
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