In the litter strategy for England (2017), we said that tobacco product manufacturers and associated trade bodies need to think about ways to address the issue of smoking related litter.
According to a recent survey commissioned by Defra, despite smoking rates in England being at their lowest recorded level, cigarette butts continue to be the most commonly littered item in England.
The Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Pow, met with members of the tobacco industry and environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, to discuss smoking related litter in England and to explore what is preventing the tobacco industry from addressing this problem.
All such discussions need to comply with the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and accompanying guidelines on implementation, in particular Article 5.3.
In line with the framework, Defra intend to publish all correspondence and notes of meetings with the tobacco industry where it decides it is necessary to discuss steps that the tobacco industry can take to clean up the litter caused by its product.
