Bangkok, 22 April 2024: Sixty-two million tons of electronic waste was produced in 2022, which could reach 82 million tons by 2030, according to a recent report by the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Of these, e-cigarettes are a common and growing source of e-waste, due to their discarded lithium batteries and plastic pods, which also contain an electric circuit.
Plastics account for 17 million tons, while 14 million tons include composite materials and glass. Half of the 62 million tons of the world’s e-waste is generated from Asia.
Such e-waste poses a serious threat to the environment. In addition to the solid waste and nonbiodegradable microplastics they contribute to environmental litter, e-cigarette waste also contain various amounts of residual nicotine, heavy metals, and other toxicants and carcinogens that qualify them as hazardous wastes that pollute the soil and waterways.
Every year, globally, 4.5 trillion cigarettes are discarded into the environment, along with approximately 507.5 billion cigarette butts in the ASEAN region alone. ASEAN countries collectively spend around USD 9.9 billion annually on managing marine pollution and waste caused by tobacco product packaging and cigarette butts. Cigarette butts, composed of cellulose acetate, represent a significant source of unnecessary and problematic single-use plastic.
“Cigarette butts are the most-littered single-use plastics in the world, and now there is a growing issue of e-waste from e-cigarettes and how these can harm ecosystems and wildlife. As we commemorate Earth Day, governments need to implement the polluters pay principle and hold the tobacco industry accountable for the environmental harms of its products. An environmental tax would be a good start,” stated Dr Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance.
Between 23 – 29 April, governments will gather to negotiate the Stop Plastic Pollution treaty in Ottawa at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4). At this event, advocates for tobacco control and environmental protection are urging governments to classify cigarette filters as hazardous waste and to include them in the list of plastics to be banned globally.
“As governments find a long term solution to stop the plastic pollution, they should ensure their negotiations are not compromised by lobbying from the polluting industries who have a conflict of interest in the negotiations,” said Dorotheo.
Contact Information:
Val Bugnot, Media and Communications Manager, SEATCA
Email: val@seatca.org Mobile: +63917312460
About SEATCA
SEATCA is a multi-sectoral non-governmental alliance promoting health and saving lives by assisting ASEAN countries to accelerate and effectively implement the tobacco control measures contained in the WHO FCTC. Acknowledged by governments, academic institutions, and civil society for its advancement of tobacco control in Southeast Asia, the WHO bestowed on SEATCA the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2004 and the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award in 2014.