Environment

Faux Sustainability? More than a Quarter of Brits Wrongly Think Cigarettes are Biodegradable, Uncovers Survey.

Faux Sustainability? More than a Quarter of Brits Wrongly Think Cigarettes are Biodegradable, Uncovers Survey.

Many smokers find it instinctual, especially after years of the habit, to flick their cigarettes on the ground and for non-smoking members of the public, they might not even consider it a form of littering due to how common an occurrence it’s become. But what’s not often discussed is the negative environmental impact cigarettes have, despite their small size. One of the largest global clean-up initiatives is The Great Global Cleanup, which takes place across 180 countries and has reeled in the participation of more than 20 million volunteers in past years. Although an unpleasant task, cleaning up cigarette butts is an extremely beneficial way to help improve the community in a way which may appear small, but has a domino-effect in contributing to a greater overall environmental impact. Many cities spend thousands of pounds on cigarette clean-up, therefore, members of the community helping alleviate the prominence of this issue can be beneficial on a larger scale.

GoSmokeFree.co.uk conducted a study of 1,300people to test their knowledge on cigarettes and their corresponding impact on the environment. Interestingly, the survey found that more than 1 in 4 (27%) respondents wrongly think cigarettes are biodegradable. Although sometimes wrapped in paper, cigarette butts are not made of cotton or biodegradable material, they are actually primarily made up of plastic, which is, of course, extremely damaging to the environment. It’s also a relatively common occurrence for researchers and scientists to find the remains of cigarette butts (or even whole ones) in the bodies of dead sea life, such as fish, sea birds, dolphins and turtles.

Another result found that nearly 1 in 10 (9%) people said the biggest drawback to smoking is the environmental impact, which reassuringly means some are aware of these negative implications on the planet. Three-quarters (75%) said it was the health impact and 16% said it was the financial cost which was the biggest drawback. In fact, on average for those who used to smoke tobacco but have switched to vaping, they have saved 108 GBP per month since kicking the cigarette habit. Considering the financial stress many people have been in following the pandemic, it’s a positive factor that some have been saving in seemingly small, but impactful areas of their lives. And more than half (63%) of those who have saved on their cigarette habit since switching to vaping said they’ve put this extra cash in the bank, while 13% have spent it on new clothing. Eleven percent have spent it on socialising with friends; 11% have upgraded their electronics and technology, and 3% have bought new beauty products with their savings.

40% of people said they don’t feel that anti-smoking laws are harsh enough and should be increased in severity. More than half (57%) of people also said they don’t feel that smoking and alcohol education at schools in the UK is adequate.

And when it comes to reducing overall cigarette smoking, nearly 3 in 4 (73%) said they don’t feel like health authorities have done enough to encourage smokers to quit by converting to vaping. It’s evident that not many people know about the benefits of vaping either as just 53% of people said they know how vaping works.

There have been plenty testimonials of those who used to smoke tobacco but switched to vaping, given the benefits involved in changing up these habits. Almost half (42%) of people said the biggest benefit of quitting cigarettes and changing to vaping was that it’s healthier in general. One in five (19%) of people said it’s safer and 8% said vaping offers more variety, presumably in terms of flavours, device options and component solutions. Another 24% of people said vaping is cheaper than smoking cigarettes, which makes sense given the notable increase in the cost of cigarettes following the last tax hike in the UK. Lastly, 7% of people said they experience fewer after-effects with vaping as compared to smoking cigarettes, which is the biggest benefit for them.

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